Finding a Balance
by Miss Mouse 1241
Summary: Naruto is a rambunctious young man and Sasuke is a quiet control freak. What happens when you put these total polar opposites under the same roof? Complete and utter chaos. The good kind. Rated M for language and suggestive themes. AU. Eventual NaruSasu.
1. Ch-Ch-Changes!

**Laura: Guess what! It's time for a mini series! I really like these because they don't make me feel as stressed as a full story usually does XD This is going to be full of random snip its of Naruto and Sasuke's lives together.** **I'm pretty happy with this story and I really hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I do. Enjoy :}**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Suigetsu was pissed off. Scratch that, he was down right livid. After a long day of listening to boring lectures and writing essays all he wanted to do was come home, grab a snack and watch some TV. But no, nothing could ever be that simple when you're living with an Uchiha. Suigetsu had never considered Sasuke a friend. He was an acquaintance at most. The two of them had nothing in common and most of the time they spent together there were a million other places both of them would rather be. Suigetsu however seemed to completely forget these important details when he learned Sasuke had bought his own apartment near their school.

And it just so happened that Suigetsu himself was looking for a place to stay. At the time, the two figured they could both get something out of it. Suigetsu would be close to school and all his friends while Sasuke would benefit from the second income of money. It was a win win. However, as months passed Suigetsu was reminded of why he and Sasuke had never become close friends. The dude was fucking insane. Not "Oooh I just saw a unicorn!" insane but "Do as I say or I'll kill you in your sleep." insane. Now, Sasuke may have never said this out loud but his eyes had said it for him. At first it was tolerable. Hell, Suigetsu even agreed with some of his rules. But things quickly escalated from there. At one point Suigetsu was receiving new rules on a daily basis.

Sasuke even had the balls to ban Suigetsu's best friend from entering the apartment after he threw up all over the couch, a result of his drunken night out. Suigetsu thought it was hilarious. Sasuke wanted to rip his hair out. He didn't know how, but Suigetsu had managed to survive four months with the freak. Four was the limit. Suigetsu had cracked. And it wasn't because of Sasuke's rules or his inability to hold a conversation. In fact, for once, Sasuke had done nothing at all. Suigetsu had been sitting on the couch in the living room with the TV on and Sasuke was sitting across from him in his favourite recliner. No one but him is allowed to sit in it of course. The obnoxious sign taped on the back made that very clear.

Sasuke was studying like always and Suigetsu was trying to pay attention to whatever was on the TV but he just couldn't seem to relax. Whenever Sasuke was around he felt tense. Granted, Suigetsu was the one who decided to sit down. Sasuke had been there first, like usual, but if he had slunk off to his room that would have meant that Sasuke won. He refused to back down to this bastard. With these thoughts going through his head Suigetsu found himself glaring at Sasuke across the room. Sasuke, sensing eyes on him, slowly lifted his head and met Suigetsu's gaze. "Can I help you?" He asked with a perfectly arched eye brow.

_'Dick.'_ Suigetsu thought. "Why don't you ever go out? Don't you have any friends?" Ridicule was clear in his voice. Sasuke simply stared at him. "You know. Friends." Suigetsu repeated as if he was speaking to a child. "F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Friends. People you hang out with. _Outside_." Sasuke frowned. "And what about this? What's all that about?" Suigetsu pointed to the books on Sasuke's lap. "Are you ever _not_ studying? Do you even know what fun is?!" Sasuke's expression clearly showed his displeasure but Suigetsu was on a roll. "Let's see. All the things that are wrong with Sasuke Uchiha!" Suigetsu started listing things off on his fingers.

"You don't talk. _Ever_. And when you do it's only to rank on me for breaking one of your stupid rules. Which leads me to fault number two! You make up so many idiotic rules that you literally have lists hanging around the apartment so I don't forget them! You say rooms are off limits and yet you have no problem barging into my room to complain about something _pointless_ when I'm clearly busy! You have absolutely no sense of humour and sometimes I think your face is stuck in a permanent frown!" At this point, Suigetsu was standing up glaring down at Sasuke as his pent up rage boiled over.

"You only buy the food that _you_ want and you're such a clean freak that I can't even take my bloody shoes off by the door without you getting on my case! Not to mention your inability to take a joke. I pranked you with a woopy cushion and you changed the fucking locks on me!"

"I only did that once." Sasuke defended himself steadily. "It doesn't matter how many times you did it the point is you _did it_ Sasuke!" Suigetsu boomed. "You are the most annoying, big headed, emotionless freak that I have ever met! I can't take this anymore dammit!" Suigetsu's chest was pumping up and down furiously and he was sure his face had become red from lack of oxygen.

Finally his rant had come to an end. Throughout this whole time Sasuke's expression had remained emotionless, exactly as Suigetsu had said. "You done?" Sasuke questioned coolly. Suigetsu shook his head in disbelief. "Fuck you Sasuke." And that was the end. The next day Sasuke watched as his ex roommate hurriedly gathered up the last of his things in boxes and piled them into the back of his car. As Suigetsu drove away, graciously sticking his middle finger out the window, Sasuke felt an immediate sense of freedom. He had also learned a very valuable lesson from all this. No matter how nice it is to have a little extra money, it's not worth living with another person.

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**~Later that day~**

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Kiba's eye brows rose in genuine shock as he watched his best friend pace in front of him. "They kicked you out?" He asked, still not believing it was the truth. "They kicked me out!" Naruto confirmed with a shout. He sounded just as surprised as Kiba was. "Minato and Kushina Uzumaki kicked you, their pride and joy, out of your house?"

"It's not my house anymore it's theirs." Naruto quoted his father in a mocking tone. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Naruto exclaimed. "They just ambushed me in my room, telling me I was too old to be living at home and that I needed to learn how to live on my own. What kind of shit is that?!" Kiba leaned back into his chair and shrugged. "I don't see what the problem is. Just move into the dorms like me." Naruto tugged at his hair in frustration. "Kiba that's exactly what I've been trying to avoid! You really think I want to live in the same building as a bunch of idiotic, horny frat boys?"

Kiba made a face. "No offence." Naruto added as an after thought. "None taken." Kiba grumbled. The blonde let out a troubled sigh as he finally stopped pacing and flopped down on the brunette's bed. "If they're really going to make me do this then I'm going to do it my way. I'll have to get my own place." Kiba narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "You can't afford your own place." He stated matter of factly. Naruto let out an annoyed growl and punched at the air. "I know that!"

"So, what's your plan?" Naruto rolled over onto his stomach and rested his head on his arms in front of him. "Beg my parents to let me stay?" Kiba shook his head in disbelief. "Your parents are right dude. You've turned into a pansy." Naruto scoffed. "Excuse me?"

"You're too dependent on them man, it's creepy, not to mention unhealthy. Being on your own will do you some good." Naruto wanted to disagree but he knew Kiba was right. He didn't think it was his fault thought. Growing up as an only child, Naruto's parents had essentially spoiled and babied him his whole life. He wasn't used to not getting his way. He knew that was a dick thing to say, but he didn't know anything else. That's why this whole situation had really shaken him. For the first time in his life he felt like he wasn't in control of what was going on, like he was powerless. He wouldn't admit it to Kiba.

Hell he wouldn't even admit it to himself, but deep down he was scared. Scared of change, scared of having to take care of himself, but most of all, he was scared of growing up. Moving out and living in your own place required a certain level of maturity that Naruto didn't have, and frankly didn't want. What if he changed? What if he became boring? Naruto couldn't think of a worse scenario. Kiba frowned as he saw Naruto's troubled expression. "I think you're overreacting. Just make a plan and stick to it. Simple as that." Naruto blew a piece of hair out of his face while pouting. "A plan, right. A plan requires money Kiba, in which I am seriously lacking."

"Get a job." Kiba couldn't help but snort at Naruto's appalled expression. "Me? Get a job?"

"You are absolutely hopeless."

Kiba mumbled under his breath as he stood up and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" Naruto demanded. "I'm in the middle of a mid life crisis!" Kiba smirked. "Which is exactly why I'm leaving." Naruto climbed up onto his knees in a panic as Kiba closed the bedroom door behind him. "Kiba get your ass back here! What the hell am I supposed to do?!" The thought of getting a job honestly made Naruto feel nauseous. He just wasn't good at this stuff! How did his parents expect him to succeed when he had absolutely no idea what to do?! He needed a place to stay, which means he needed money, which also means he needs to get a job.

Naruto shuddered. _'I really am a pansy...' _He thought with a depressing sigh. Before Naruto could wallow in anymore of his self pity, the bedroom door opened and Kiba suddenly came back into the room. Naruto simply glared at him. "What do you want?" He grumbled childishly. Kiba plastered a wide grin on his face as he held up his cell phone in front of the blonde. "I am about to answer all your prayers." Naruto stared at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Okay, so get this." Kiba pulled up a chair in front of the bed and flipped it around, sitting on it backwards. "I just got a text telling me that this guy, Suigetsu, just moved out of his apartment that he shared with his roommate." Naruto raised an eyebrow curiously. "Your point being?"

"My point being there is now an apartment with an extra room available! It's close to campus, a decent size, and in a good part of town." Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And who exactly did you get this information from?"

"A friend of a friend... of a friend..."

"Sounds trustworthy." The blonde said sarcastically. "Look, it's something alright? Just take the damn miracle and thank god that I'm your best friend."

"I don't know Kiba..." Naruto mumbled unsurely. "Having a roommate? Do you think that's such a good idea?" Kiba shrugged. "Better than nothing."

"But I haven't even met the guy!"

"I'll set up a meeting." Kiba said cheerfully. "You can put him under your charm spell and bam! You have a home. And you'll only have to pay half of the rent. You'd be an idiot not to take this." Kiba paused for a second. "Actually, now that I think about it you are an idiot." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll meet the guy and see what happens. But if this blows up in my face I'm holding you responsible!" He still wasn't sure having a roommate was a good idea, but at the moment it was his only option. Maybe if he showed his parents that he could take care of himself for awhile they would let him move back in! Naruto internally face palmed. _'I am so screwed.'_

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**Laura: So, what do you think? Interested in more? Let me know in a review! In the next chapter Naruto and Sasuke meet for the first time! Hope you come back here for more! See ya!**


	2. First Impressions Suck

**Laura: Chapter two is here! Hope ya'll enjoy! X]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"There he is." Kiba announced as he pointed across the quad. "On that bench over there. That's Sasuke." Naruto narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the man. Judging by the textbook in his lap Naruto figured he was studying. The dude seemed normal enough. He wasn't that hard to look at either. Slender body, pale skin. He was pretty, for a boy. "Are you planning on moving any time soon?" Naruto sent Kiba a glare before heaving a loud sigh.

'_Wish me luck._' The blonde thought as he summoned up his courage and began walking towards the Uchiha. Realizing he had nothing better to do, Kiba decided to follow him. An uneasy feeling had settled in Naruto's stomach as he stopped a few feet in front of the raven. Sasuke was still reading his book clearly showing he hadn't noticed the blonde yet. Naruto didn't know why he was so nervous.

_'It's just some guy. I talk to strangers all the time. Why should this be any different?'_ He tried to assure himself. '_That's right, there's absolutely nothing to worry about._' Feeling a little more relaxed, Naruto's usual confidence returned in the form of a wide grin. "Hi there!" He greeted cheerfully as he looked down at the Uchiha. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this-" The blonde pointed to his companion. "Is Kiba. He's the one that set this meeting thing up." Kiba gave a half assed wave. "Yo."

"Anyway, I guess we should get down to business huh?" He waited for a response but Sasuke simply continued to read with his head down. Puzzled, Naruto looked over his shoulder at Kiba hoping for some kind of explanation. Kiba shrugged. "Maybe he's shy." Naruto scratched at the back of his head awkwardly as he turned back to the unresponsive man.

"Look, uh… I know this is a little weird. You don't know me and I don't know you. We were literally set up through a chain of friends which isn't always the greatest idea but… I really need this to work. Long story short my parents kicked me out of their house and I really need somewhere to live. Honestly when Kiba told me you had an extra room available I thought it was a gift from the gods. I'll make sure to always pay my side of the rent on time, so you don't need to worry about that. And I'll even promise to leave you alone. You know if you want me to… I won't be a bother."

Naruto took a deep breath as his smile began to falter. "So… what do you say? Can you help me out?" A heavy silence filled the air. Naruto stood there feeling increasingly uncomfortable and Kiba was becoming irritated by the raven's lack of response. "Dude, come on. He's bearing his soul to you here. The least you could do is acknowledge him!" Still Sasuke remained silent. "Hey!" Kiba barked as he leaned down and pushed Sasuke's shoulder roughly.

The Uchiha jolted out of surprise and quickly looked up at the two men. "What's wrong with you?!" Naruto scolded the brunette. "He was ignoring us!" Kiba tried to defend his actions. "That doesn't mean you can just shove him! I'm trying to make a good impression here!" Sasuke blinked as he watched the encounter between them. Naruto shook his head in annoyance before looking back down at Sasuke. "I apologize for my friends idiotic behaviour. He has anger issues."

"Bite me Naruto."

"You see?" Naruto gestured to his friend. "He can't help himself. Anyway…" Naruto smiled sheepishly. "About the apartment thing…?" Sasuke quietly stared up at him for a few more seconds before slowly lifting up his hands and bringing them to his ears. Two black ear phone buds were removed and dropped into his lap. "Can I help you?" Sasuke asked inquisitively. Naruto's mouth fell open in disbelief as Kiba face palmed beside him. "You have got to be kidding me." Kiba moaned into his hand. Sasuke raised his eyebrow finding their reactions unusual. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes there's a fucking problem! Did you seriously not here what he said?!" Sasuke's nose and forehead scrunched up in confusion. "What who said?"

"Naruto!"

"Who's Naruto?" This time is was Kiba's turn to drop his jaw. "You have no idea who we are or what's going on do you?" Sasuke calmly shook his head as he stared at the brunette. His gaze eventually moved to Naruto who was still unmoving. "What's wrong with him?" Kiba followed Sasuke's gaze and cringed at what he saw. Naruto's face was a whole new shade of red and his jaw was now tightly clenched in embarrassment.

"I think you've killed him." Kiba stated bluntly. "Are you kidding me?!" Naruto finally exploded. "I just- I said all those- I was practically begging and you didn't even hear it!" Sasuke's eyes gradually began to widen as he became more and more concerned about whether or not these people were sane. "_Can I live with you or not_?!" Naruto bellowed, reaching his boiling point. "Excuse me…?"

"Your roommate Suigetsu left right? That means you have an extra room. Can I move in with you?" Sasuke opened and closed his mouth flustered. "I-I don't even know who you are! Not to mention your friend just attacked me for no reason!" Naruto's face darkened as he turned to face Kiba. "You see!" He growled as he punched the brunette in the arm making him yelp. "I told you! Now he's gonna think that I hang out with the wrong type of people!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kiba shouted back as he rubbed at his soar arm. "Exactly what it sounds like!" Naruto turned back to Sasuke panicked. "Please?" He begged desperately. "If you say no then I'm going to have to move into the dorms with idiots like him because I can't afford a whole place on my own! Are you really going to make me suffer through that?!" Sasuke found himself feeling a little amused by what the blonde was saying to him.

At a time, he himself couldn't think of anything worse than living in the dorms. It was precisely why he had gotten an apartment in the first place. It was interesting meeting someone who was thinking the same thing as he was. Sasuke was willing to admit he was intrigued by this strange encounter, but this guy couldn't honestly think he was going to let him move in with him, did he? He was a complete stranger. Sasuke couldn't even recall seeing him around campus before.

In his mind all the students looked the same. He knew nothing about this person and the obvious rule of stranger danger kept mechanically popping up in his head. But from attitude alone, he didn't seem like a bad person. Maybe he can get a little worked up about things, but the vulnerability in his eyes looked sincere. _'Maybe…'_ Sasuke caught himself before the thought escape. '_No! What is wrong with you? Haven't you learned anything from the Suigetsu fiasco!?_'

He scolded himself furiously. '_It would be completely irresponsible and irrational to say yes. Not to mention __**completely**__ idiotic. I'll politely refuse him then hopefully that will be the end of it._' Confident in his decision, Sasuke opened his mouth to respond. "Okay." Sasuke's body froze as Naruto's eyes widened. '_No! That's not what I was supposed to say! I didn't mean to say that!_' "Seriously?!" Naruto questioned excitedly.

_'No! Come on say no!_' Sasuke once again opened his mouth, but something about the blonde's smile stopped him. "Shit Sasuke I can't thank you enough. You won't regret this, I promise!" A troubled sound left Sasuke's throat as he watched the two men walk off together, completely oblivious to his dismay. As they disappeared out of sight Sasuke dropped his head into his hands. "I am such an idiot…" He mumbled miserably.

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**Laura: Aww poor Sasuke. It'll be okay XD Thanks for reading guys! Leave a review if you have the time! Every review is like a magical drop of inspiration!** **See ya next time!**


	3. The Roommate Agreement

**Laura: Okay here is chapter three! Sorry it's a little late. (I've been trying to update on Thursdays) But it is just so damn hot here that I felt like if I moved I'd pass out on the floor. Like Seriously. I love the sun just as much as the next person, but when it starts effecting things like your ability to sleep and eat and you know... move, there's a problem. Lying in bed is pretty much all that I'm capable of these days. T_T OH WELL! Here it is!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Naruto flinched as Sasuke dumped a stack of papers in front of him with a big thunk. "What the hell is this?" The blonde questioned as he eyed the hefty booklet that was currently taking up all the space on the desk he was working at. "A contract." Sasuke declared as he pulled over a chair and sat next to the blonde. "Contract? What for?" Sasuke hesitated for a second before responding. "Have you ever seen The Big Bang Theory?"

"Every episode." Naruto replied with a proud grin. "Well, then think of this as a roommate agreement." Naruto's smile immediately faded away and was replaced with uncertainty. He turned to stare at the raven while slowly leaning away from him. "You're not one of _those_ people are you?" He asked gravely. Sasuke's expression soured. "Just hear me out." Naruto continued to give Sasuke a suspicious look making the shorter man sigh. "Look, no offence but I've only known you for a few weeks and we're not exactly best friends."

"Yet." Naruto interrupted with a playful smirk. Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the blonde's optimism, even if he didn't believe him. "Well, until then if you're serious about living with me I think it would be better for both of us if we set up some rules." Naruto stretched his arms out behind his head as he thought about Sasuke's reasoning. "Yeah, I guess that'd be a good idea." He ran his hands through his wild blonde hair and yawned before picking up the first piece of paper on the pile and studying it.

Sasuke was actually surprised the blonde was so receptive to his proposition. As far as first impressions go, Sasuke thought Naruto seemed like a typical big dumb jock. Someone who played by his own rules and didn't listen to reason. But I suppose you should never judge a book by its cover, something that Sasuke had developed a nasty habit for. "Oh, umm this first one-" Sasuke muttered suddenly feeling anxious as he pulled his chair closer to Naruto's so they could read it together. "Is all about the kitchen rules. It's pretty straight forward I think, you make a mess then you clean it up. Same with your dishes in your room."

"And what about when we eat together? I guess we'll just do em together, huh?" Sasuke didn't respond right away spiking Naruto's curiosity. He peeled his eyes away from the page to stare at Sasuke who appeared to just be staring back at him. "What?" Naruto chuckled amused. "You look like a deer caught in the headlights." Sasuke blinked a few times before trying to find the right words to say. "When we eat together?" He ended up repeating stupidly. Naruto gave him a funny look. "Uh, yeah? Is something wrong with that?"

"No. It's just... When Suigetsu lived with me we never ate together." Naruto raised his eye brows out of surprise. "Never?" He questioned. "Never. He said I was a buzz kill." Sasuke had said this sulking but Naruto couldn't keep himself from laughing. "Well that's not nice at all." Sasuke nodded sternly. "He was a dick, he wasn't wrong, but he was a dick none the less." Naruto just grinned at him making Sasuke shift and clear his throat awkwardly. "Moving on." He quickly flipped the page feeling Naruto's gaze on him. "Friends. I don't mind if you bring your friends over, but I refuse to let any drug addicts or possible rapists into the apartment."

"Do I look like I hang out with drug addicts and possible rapists?" Naruto asked feeling slightly insulted. "Don't take it personally. Like I said, I don't know you very well..." Naruto sniffed but decided to let it go. "Also, drinking. If you and your buddies insist on drinking I would appreciate it if you would keep it at a minimum. I don't want to come home to a trashed apartment and drunken idiots passed out on the floor."

"Huh..." Sasuke's eyebrow twitched with annoyance as Naruto read through the sheet without acknowledging he had said anything. "What?" He asked trying his best to keep his temper in check. "You're kinda bossy, aren't you?" The way Naruto had said it so casually made Sasuke's cheeks become hot from embarrassment. "So what if I am? It's not a crime to want structure." Naruto hummed not really paying attention as he zoned in on a specific part or the contract that caught his eye.

"What about this?" Sasuke calmed himself down a little before leaning in to see what he was pointing at. Naruto began to quote the page. "If you bring a "special friend" home be sure to give your roommate a warning before hand." Naruto looked over at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. "A special friend? Like a girl?" Sasuke simply shrugged in response. Naruto snickered. "What is it?"

"Sometimes it just happens dude. You can't predict if you're gonna get laid or not." Sasuke huffed stubbornly. "Well try! When Suigetsu lived here I saw some things... _Horrible_ things. To this day I can't look at cucumber." Sasuke watched as Naruto's face contorted into an expression of pure disgust. He could only imagine what was going through the blonde's head. "Alright I get the point."

"Good. Shall we continue?" Naruto nodded as Sasuke flipped the page. "So obviously you can stay up as long as you want, it's your choice. But any time after 11 you have to keep the sound down."

"Let me guess." Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his temples. "You go to bed early and wake up early." Sasuke stared at Naruto with a quizzical look. "How did you know that?" Naruto smirked. "Lucky guess."

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The two men spent a large portion of their afternoon in the library going over all of the rules for the apartment. If Naruto was being honest with himself he was feeling a little overwhelmed by Sasuke's strict personality. He had already discovered that Sasuke wasn't like any of his friends, or like anyone he had ever met for that matter. But unlike others before him, instead of looking at Sasuke like a burden, Naruto had seen him as some sort of challenge.

If he could get Sasuke to loosen up a little and become his friend then he would consider it a victory. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but if he was already feeling tired of Sasuke's antics... Maybe he should rethink living with him. However, the consequences of giving up seemed more horrifying to Naruto than having to deal with a control freak. Besides, giving up was something that Naruto rarely ever considered. Usually he was determined to reach his goal no matter what it was. But the worst part about all this was that he knew if he _did _decide to live somewhere else that it wouldn't make a difference.

Sasuke would forget about him just like that and move on with his life like he had never existed. For some reason, that didn't sit very well with the Uzumaki. There was however a question that Naruto had been itching to ask ever since the two had sat down together. It was probably none of his business anyway, but it wasn't his style to keep to himself. "Hey Sasuke?" The said man was in the middle of reading a rather lengthy speech about the importance of buying groceries when Naruto interrupted him.

He marked his place with his finger before looking up at the blonde. "Yes?" Naruto scowled for a moment before responding. "Why are you letting me live with you?" Sasuke's body immediately stiffened. He had been expecting this question for a while and had hopped to have a reasonable answer to give, but he had nothing. The truth was he didn't know why he was allowing this man to move in with him. When Suigetsu left a huge sense of relief washed over Sasuke knowing that he now had the place to himself.

He liked being alone. He had a job with good pay so he could afford the place just fine. He could do it all on his own and yet he had agreed to let this stranger live with him. The opportunity to tell him no had arisen time and time again but he never found the strength to say it. He couldn't rap his head around it. "It's because..." Sasuke stumbled over his words as he realized that Naruto had been staring at him, waiting for an answer. "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Uh yeah, it kinda does." Sasuke cursed in his head as Naruto continued to question him. "I mean we barely know each other. Why would you let me live with you?" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "This goes both ways you know!" He snapped, feeling pressured by the blonde's intense stare. "You don't know me and yet you still want to live with me. You can't seriously be that desperate, can you?" Naruto considered lying to the man but he didn't really see the point in doing so.

"What can I say?" Naruto said as he lifted his shoulders in a carefree shrug. "I'm a people person. I like making friends. I just wanted to get to know you a little better." Sasuke opened his mouth to respond but Naruto continued before he could speak. "But I have a strong feeling that you're not thinkin the same thing. Am I right?" Sasuke closed his mouth and didn't respond. "Look, I don't want to freak you out or anything. It's not like that's the only reason. I was in a bad situation and needed a place to stay. Your place is close to the campus and all my favourite stores. Not to mention in walking distance to some of the best bars in Konoha."

Naruto grinned as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "For me, it's a great opportunity, and I'm sorry but if you're not gonna kick me out I'm going for it." Sasuke watched fascinated as Naruto pulled his bag up from the ground and began digging in one of the pockets. He eventually found what he was looking for and pulled out his I phone that was enclosed in a bright orange case. Sasuke couldn't help but think it seemed fitting. "Here." Naruto held his phone out to the Uchiha waiting for him to take it. Sasuke simply stared at the phone, confused by the blonde's actions.

"Put in your number." Naruto clarified with a little impatience. "I figure now that we're roommates we should at least have each others numbers, right? In case of emergency." Understanding washed over Sasuke's face before he grabbed the phone and typed in his number. When he was done he carefully handed it back to the blonde who immediately shoved it in his jeans pocket. "Alright well, I gotta get going. I'll see ya later Sasuke." Sasuke simply nodded his head. "Yeah." He watched as the blonde sauntered out of the library and disappeared down the hall before letting out a quiet sigh. '_Sasuke Uchiha, what have you gotten yourself into?_'

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**Laura: I really liked this chapter. I thought it was cute haha XD Thanks for reading guys! Leave a review if you've got the time. I'd really appreciate it :} See you (hopefully) next Thursday! Kisses!**


	4. Answering Machine No-No

**Laura: Sorry for the delay! Here is the next chapter XD Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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A few days after Naruto had settled in, Sasuke had gotten a rather strange call from his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke had answered the phone and was met with hysterical laughter that belonged to his brother. It wasn't often that Sasuke heard his brother laugh like this so he was immediately curious as to what was so funny. Once Itachi managed to calm himself down, he returned to his usual calm demeanour. When Sasuke asked him what was so funny, Itachi had simply said. "Listen to your answering machine." And hung up on him.

This phone call was the reason Sasuke was now sitting at his desk staring down the answering machine he had placed in front of himself. Every time he would reach out to click the play button his hand would snap back as if it had been scolded. He knew that he didn't change the recording, and if he did it never would have made his brother laugh as much as he did. That left only one explanation. Naruto had somehow managed to change it without him knowing. A shudder ran down Sasuke's spine.

No good could come of this.

He wanted to be mad that the blonde had changed it without his permission, but he was too worried about the message to focus on that emotion. Releasing a calming breath, Sasuke reached forward and clicked the button that would open up the answering machine settings. "If you'd like to record a new message, press 4." A robotic voice spoke through the small speaker. "If you'd like to listen to your current message, press 5." Sasuke's finger hesitated over the 5 for only a second before pressing down on it.

A lengthy pause of static began the message. For a moment, Sasuke had the dreaded thought that maybe he himself had turned on the recorder accidentally. It was unlikely, but possible. If that was the case, then he could have recorded something extremely embarrassing without knowing. It would explain why his brother had enjoyed it so much. Sasuke didn't know if he felt relief or dread when he heard Naruto's distinct voice come through the machine.

"It's not working!" Naruto said loudly, as if he was holding the speaker too close to his face. Another voice that Sasuke could identify as Kiba Inuzuka spoke up. It sounded more distant than Naruto's voice so Sasuke could only make out certain parts. From what he heard, Kiba had said something about a red light. "Yeah, it's on!" Naruto once again shouted causing Sasuke to jump slightly. The sound of footsteps echoed as someone approached the machine.

"Then it's on dumbass!" Kiba said slightly annoyed. There was a pause before Naruto let out a hearty laugh. "Oh shit, I guess it is." Sasuke felt his body relax a little. '_Okay that's not too bad… Embarrassing sure, but not for me._' Silently begging for nothing worse to happen, Sasuke continued to listen. "What's up bitches?!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically into the microphone. "This is your main man Naruto here and this is my new crib! If you have this number then consider yourself one of the lucky ones!"

"You gave this number to practically everyone at school dude." Kiba interrupted from somewhere in the background. "Shut up!" Naruto dismissed him automatically. "Anyway, if you've been given this number then you probably know that I am now living with someone. And no, it's not some dumb bimbo that I found on Craig's list." There was a snort heard in the distance. Naruto ignored it. "It's actually another dude."

"Insert gay jokes here." Kiba snickered. Given the following "Ow!" that occurred; Sasuke had to assume Naruto had struck him. "His name is Sasuke, so if he picks up make sure to tell him how incredibly awesome I am and all the benefits to being my friend. Cause as you all know, there is _a lot_." This time both of them began to chuckle, making it seem like Naruto knew how arrogant he sounded. "Yeah, so he's a good dude. Kinda quiet, but tolerable." As an after thought Naruto said. "Oh! And if this is one of Sasuke's friends, don't be jealous. I'll try not to steal him away from you. But no promises."

"He is going to kill you man." Kiba said making Naruto laugh excitedly. "I know! Fuck I'm annoying. Okay that's it! Leave your god damn message right… about… NOW!" Beeeeep. Silence filled the apartment. As if in a trance, Sasuke reached out and clicked the play button again, and again… and again. It took several times before he had fully processed what had happened. By the 9th time a dark scowl had appeared on the Uchiha's face. '_This is my own damn fault._' Sasuke thought bitterly as he pulled out a pen and a small sticky note. '_Here we go again..._'

Later that evening, Naruto came back from visiting his friends and went straight into the kitchen. It seemed every one of his friends lacked hosting skills and didn't think to feed him. It was almost 7 and he still hadn't had dinner yet. He pulled out the fixings to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before heading to the dining room table and taking a seat. As he ate, he noticed a neon colour of yellow sticking to the answering machine near the plug in phone.

Curious about its placement, Naruto stood up and grabbed the piece of paper. A very neatly written message was scratched onto the note. "Dear Naruto," The blonde read aloud. "If you ever touch the answering machine again without my permission, I will personally throw all of your items out the window. Sincerely your pissed off roommate, Sasuke." With a mouth full of mush, Naruto grinned. The games had begun.

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**Laura: Hahaha oh Naruto, you're going to drive poor Sasuke insane aren't you? ;] Thanks for reading guys! Don't forget to leave a review! See ya next time! Hugs!**


	5. Naruto's Up All Night To Get Lucky

**Laura: It's been awhile. 5 am. Writing binge. Nuff said. Enjoy my lovelies!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Sasuke quickly discovered that the answering machine fiasco was just the beginning to his roommate problems. It was a Saturday and Sasuke had heard from a friend that Naruto would be at a party somewhere on campus, leaving Sasuke to himself in the apartment. He welcomed the concept of having the place to himself and being able to get in some much need undisturbed studying time. He had gone out briefly to pick up a few of the books he needed from the library before heading home. He arrived at the apartment later than he had intended with arms full of books and a take out bag hanging from his fore arm. Normally Sasuke wouldn't allow himself to eat such garbage but he wanted to celebrate his freedom, no matter how short that time may be.

As the Uchiha unpacked his food and placed it onto the kitchen table he tried to convince himself that Naruto would probably get drunk and have to stay at a friend's house instead of coming home. He seemed like the type of person to drink until they couldn't tell up from down. It was a stretch, but Sasuke still hoped. He was in the middle of pouring himself a glass of milk when he heard the strangest noise coming from down the hall. It sounded like… well; Sasuke didn't really know what it sounded like. At first he simply thought it was his imagination and tried to shake it off as he sat down to begin his meal, but then he heard it _again_. By now Sasuke was on red alert, already clutching a steak knife tightly in his hand as he began to creep down the darkened hallway.

Sasuke knew the smartest thing to do would be to call the cops in case it was a burglary, but he didn't know for sure that it was. Something could have easily fallen over because of an opened window, or maybe the apartment had creaked and Sasuke had simply misinterpreted it as something else. There were several reasonable explanations to explain the strange sound, but that didn't stop Sasuke's heart from hammering around in his chest like a rabid dog trying to escape its cage. Sasuke approached his bedroom and cautiously pressed his ear up against the wood of the door. Silence. He checked the bathroom next. Again, nothing. The third time the sound was heard Sasuke physically jumped and almost dropped the knife directly on his foot.

Sasuke was certain now.

The sound had definitely come from Naruto's room. And this time around it was more vocal, much clearer than what he had heard before. It was definitely a person. But that wasn't what had Sasuke internally scratching his head in confusion. The voice was _female_. It had to have been, Sasuke had never met a male capable of making such a high pitched squeak. Now Sasuke was conflicted between being scared out of his mind and being utterly flabbergasted. _'What the hell is going on?!' _The shaken Uchiha continued his stealth walk until he was facing Naruto's door. After taking exactly 5 calming breaths, Sasuke raised the knife up in a protective hold in front of his chest, counted to three and pushed the door open with all his might.

There was so much force behind the shove that the door slammed into the wall doing little to calm Sasuke's ever heightened nerves. There was an audible gasp heard that hadn't come out of Sasuke's mouth. The Uchiha quickly reached over and flicked the switch beside the door filling the dark room with a bright white light. This time around Sasuke really did drop the knife. Everything came to him in a big confusing mess. The pink hair, the tanned skin, the two bodies pressed up against each other, the thrusting- and holy shit! "Mother fucker-" Naruto exclaimed as he pulled out of the girl beneath him and scrambled to cover his lower body with the sheets on his bed.

Fucking pulled _out _of!

The girl looked just as mortified as Sasuke did as Naruto passed her his shirt to cover herself with. "Sasuke I- Fuck you weren't supposed to be here." Naruto continued as he pushed his hair back away from his sweaty forehead. He met Sasuke's gaze then and the Uchiha could clearly see the arousal in the blonde's eyes. His cheeks were flushed; his chest was pumping up and down. Sweat was glistening over his perfectly toned abs… Sasuke gaped liked a god damn fish as the girl tried to shield herself behind Naruto who was still waiting for a response from his roommate. "Me?!" Sasuke finally managed to get out in a high pitched choke of the word. "_You_ weren't supposed to be here! I thought you were going to a party!"

"I was but it got cancelled! Why are you here?!"

"Because I live here!"

"Wait- no." Naruto sputtered as he made a daring grab for his pants on the floor. It was risky because in order to grab the damn thing he had to lean down to the floor and stretch out to get it. Naruto's grip on the sheets loosened as he lost his balance. Sasuke saw the curve of Naruto's pelvic bone. That was the final straw. When Naruto looked up again Sasuke was already gone, leaving nothing but an open door and a kitchen knife lying in the hallway. Naruto jolted as he heard the front door slam shut.

_Fuck_.

Naruto hadn't meant for this to happen at all. He could have sworn that Saturdays were Sasuke's _'go to the library and study all night'_ days. Apparently not this Saturday. Fuck, why couldn't it have been this Saturday?! "Is he gone?" Throughout the whole shock of seeing Sasuke, Naruto had almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that Sakura. I honestly didn't know he was going to be here. I guess the two of us need to work on our communication skills, huh?" Naruto tried to lighten the mood by forcing a laugh but Sakura wasn't buying into it.

"I've never been so humiliated in my life." The pinkette groaned as she reached for her red bra and matching panties. "It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about!" Naruto insisted as he very blatantly stared at the woman's body which by now, unfortunately, was already half way covered. "You better not tell anyone about this Naruto! I'm serious! If anyone found out I'd never be able to show my face in public again!" Naruto had a hard time concentrating on her words and instead found himself pouting when the last patch of skin was hidden underneath the fabric of her clothes. "Naruto!"

"Yeah, yeah okay! I got it! I promise I won't tell anyone." Sakura nodded then made a run for the door but Naruto was quick to react and blocked her way, smirking when emerald green eyes glared up at him. "Where you going baby? I thought we were in the middle of something."

"Are you kidding me? Naruto your friend is now the definition of term mood killer. There's no way I'm going back into that bed with you after all that. It's just not happening." Naruto figured as much. Still, he didn't want Sakura leaving angry with him. "You're right. I guess the moments kind of gone, huh?" Sakura nodded animatedly. "Buuuuut-" Naruto dragged out as he snaked his arms around her waist and gently pulled her closer. "That doesn't mean _all_ of the moments are gone, right?" Sakura tried her best to keep her frown but eventually gave in as Naruto leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. She had to eventually force herself to pull away from the blonde's intoxicating kiss and sighed dreamily as she stared up into his ocean blue eyes.

"I'll call you." Sakura promised as she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. Naruto grinned as he stepped aside and watched as the pinkette scurried down the hallway looking both flustered and thoroughly satisfied. The real severity of the situation only began to settle in when Naruto found he was truly alone. He had broken one of Sasuke's biggest rules. Unintentionally sure, but he had a feeling that wouldn't mean jack to the Uchiha. Naruto let out a sigh as he collapsed down onto his dishevelled bed that reeked of sweat and other bodily fluids... "Well done Naruto. Well fucking done… I am definitely getting my shit thrown out of a window tomorrow."

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**Laura: HA! Can you spell awkward? I don't know about you guys but I'd be mortified if this happened to me XD Sorry for the long wait on a new chapter. I haven't forgotten about this story I swear! I've just been avoiding it cause I'm working on other exciting things :] But I'm feeling good about this story again so hopefully I can keep this going. Thanks for the patience. Love you all with a passion! Leave a review if you can! TTFN!**


	6. Leave It To The Professionals

**Laura: Here's another chapter my friends! XD For some reason I'm really good at writing early in the morning... It may or may not be 3 am right now...** **I should probably get some sleep, neh? Haha I have problems. Enjoy guys!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Naruto had to give Sasuke credit. The amount of dedication it took to completely avoid someone you live with definitely took a fair amount of planning and skill. Maybe the Uchiha was psychic. That would certainly explain how Sasuke managed to walk out of the apartment precisely when the blonde would arrived, not so much as sparing him a glance as he slammed the door behind himself. This behaviour had almost been going on for 2 weeks and Naruto was quickly losing his patience. Every time he would try to talk to his roommate Sasuke was either A) avoiding him like the plaque. Or B) ignoring him like he was an annoying child trying to get his parents attention.

Naruto didn't blame Sasuke for his resentment. He broke the rules and was being disciplined for it. But Naruto couldn't figure out why the raven ignoring him actually _felt_ like it was a punishment. The two men were far from being friends, and it's not like Sasuke was particularly kind to him in the first place. It shouldn't be bugging him so much. But it does. And that alone was enough to piss the blonde off. It's not like facing Sasuke again was on top of Naruto's wish list. He at least felt the decency to be embarrassed about being caught in such an intimate moment with another person. Plus, Sasuke saw him naked. Naruto wasn't accustomed to letting dudes stare at his junk, especially if he hardly knew them.

Apologizing would be a set back on Naruto's pride, but it was something he needed to do if he was going to survive his time living there. If Sasuke went on ignoring him like this, Naruto feared that he would lose his mind trying to prove to the raven that he did in fact exist in the same world as him. Thankfully, Naruto had an epiphany, on a Monday of all days, right in the middle of one of his least favourite classes. Obviously his original approach of saying sorry wasn't working so he decided to do something else instead. His Mother always told him that actions speak louder than words, so he figured maybe if he did something nice for the Uchiha, Sasuke would be more receptive to the idea of having a conversation with him.

Naruto spent the rest of the day in his head putting together a menu for that evening. He wasn't the greatest chef, but surely he could handle a simple shake n bake recipe. Cooking a nice dinner for another guy seemed a little odd to him at first, but the idea of impressing Sasuke with the culinary skills he was sure he possessed encouraged him enough to give it a try. He stopped at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients he needed before heading home to an empty apartment. No surprise there. _'At least I have the space to get this done.'_ Naruto thought as he dumped all of his groceries onto the kitchen counter. "Okay, let's see here…" Naruto mumbled to himself as he pulled out his cell phone and opened up the page he had saved earlier at the grocery store.

"Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Alright, I can do that." Naruto walked over to the oven and pushed the appropriate buttons to turn it on. He dialled in the correct temperature then returned his attention to the instructions. "Next I need to cover the chicken with the shake n bake mixture. Heh." Naruto snickered triumphantly as he picked up a small yellow package from the counter. "Good thing I bought some pre made. I doubt Sasuke keeps paprika in the cupboard." It took awhile for Naruto to locate the plastic bags hidden in a draw, but once he found them he poured the mixture into the bag and plopped in a few pieces of the fresh chicken he had picked up. "So, this is the shaking part I guess."

Naruto glanced at the instructions once more before shrugging and shaking the living hell out of that bag. A few pieces of poultry almost flew out the top because it was so erratic and violent. "Alright, last step." Naruto sighed as he dropped the bag down onto the counter. "Place chicken in a baking dish skin side down and bake for 20 minutes." Once the chicken had been dealt with, Naruto then went on to prepare the rest of the side dishes. He popped a couple potatoes into the microwave and cut up some carrots which he then proceeded to dump into a pot of boiling water. Everything appeared to be in order giving Naruto the confidence to wonder off into his bedroom to change his clothes and check his email.

A rookie mistake of course.

When Naruto returned almost an hour later the kitchen was in absolute chaos. The pot of carrots had bubbled over and was now dripping boiling hot water onto the element and down onto floor. The potatoes had apparently exploded in the microwave, leaving the insides covered in a dark brown mess, and the chicken was burnt beyond recognition, already beginning to shrivel up into nothing. Only one word came to mind as Naruto gaped at the disaster he had created. "Fuck." The blonde raced around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off, not knowing which catastrophe to tackle first. He eventually decided on the chicken and flung the oven door open, cringing as the door groaned and creaked in protest.

Naruto was met with a face full of smoke and a nauseating scent of burnt meat. "God dammit!" Naruto cursed as he pulled on an oven mitt and grabbed the pan of black poultry, which he then proceeded to drop into the garbage can located under the sink. Next he went after the carrots. He fumbled around with the element dials in a desperate attempt to turn it off and then made a grab for the pot handle. The next thing he knew the silver pot was laying face down on the floor, carrots and water sliding across the tiles, and his arm was sizzling in excruciating pain. "Oh shit! Oh fuck! Son of a-" The rest of Naruto's cries were drowned out by the sound of the smoke detector…

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Sasuke came home a few hours later, backpack slung over his shoulder and books in his hands, only to find that his assumption about Naruto being at a friends house or being tied up in his room and been wrong. Naruto was sitting at the kitchen table, his hands and arms hidden in his lap, and he was smiling as Sasuke took off his coat and shoes. "Hey, you're back. Come here, I got a surprise for you." The Uchiha's first thought was to simply ignore the blonde as he had been doing for weeks and retire to his bedroom for the rest of the evening, but Sasuke didn't like the way the blonde was smiling at him. It seemed too innocent. _'What did the idiot do this time?'_ Sasuke thought as he cautiously crept his way towards the table.

It wasn't until he had reached the end of the table that he had smelt it. Sasuke was smart enough to recognize that was the smell of something that had been burnt. He rolled his eyes as Naruto lifted his hand and scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened in horror as he saw the red patches of welts on the blonde's normally unblemished skin. Sasuke instinctually rushed over to his roommate and grabbed his arm. "What the hell happened?!" He asked in alarm as he pulled the wounded appendage closer into the light. Naruto winced as Sasuke poked and probed at the red patches of skin. "Oh- yeah, I sorta burnt myself..."

"How?!" Naruto didn't seem to keen on answering the question and Sasuke wasn't patient enough to wait for a response. The Uchiha quickly grabbed a dish towel and soaked it in some cold water before bringing it back over to the surprisingly quiet blonde. Sasuke kneeled down next to the chair and gently wrapped the cloth around Naruto's wound. A second later Naruto actually began to chuckle making Sasuke's head snap up in astonishment. "Why are you laughing moron?! This is really bad!"

"I just think it's kind of funny." Naruto snickered as he rubbed at his nose with his free hand. "I guess it took me getting third degree burns for you to finally talk to me again, huh?" Sasuke opened his mouth to retort but nothing came to mind. Naruto looked down at him with those big, blue eyes and that god damn sweet smile and for a minute Sasuke couldn't even remember why he was mad at the blonde in the first place. "So, time for the surprise?" Naruto didn't wait for a response and quickly stood from his chair and headed into the kitchen. Sasuke watched with an uneasy feeling in his stomach as the blonde opened the microwave. "Naruto… I think we should take you to the emergency room."

"Yeah yeah in a minute." Naruto dismissed Sasuke's comment as he grabbed two Styrofoam containers out of the microwave and brought them back to the table. The blonde grinned as Sasuke stared at him questionably. "Dinner is served!" He announced excitedly as he offered Sasuke one of the cups. "Ramen…?"

"Yeah! Ramen is the shit, don't you think?" Sasuke stared at the cup for a second or two before looking back up at his roommate. Eventually Naruto sighed and let the smile fall from his lips. "I know this a piss poor excuse for a peace offering, but as you can see-" He gestured to his arm. "the dinner I had originally planned for you didn't turn out so well."

"For me…?"

"Yeah." Naruto shrugged as if it was no big deal. "But don't worry, I learned my lesson. I'll never step foot in your kitchen again. I swear." Sasuke glanced over to the kitchen before returning his gaze hesitantly back to Naruto. "You… tried to make me dinner?"

"Key word being tried. I didn't know what else to make so I went with plan B. If you hate ramen I may have to shoot myself." Naruto laughed at his joke but there was also a hint of desperation in his eyes. Sasuke did hate ramen. Always has and probably always will, but the Uchiha just didn't have the heart to tell him so. "Ramen is fine..." Naruto was practically glowing before the words had even escaped his mouth. There was something in the way the big lug smiled down at him that made Sasuke drop his gaze to the floor and gnaw on his bottom lip. _'Quit looking at me like that jerk…' _

Naruto suddenly clapped his hands then rubbed them together vigorously. "Alright! Let's eat!" Sasuke reached out and gently grabbed Naruto's good arm before he could sit back down. "We will. _After_ we come back from the emergency room." Naruto made a face but decided there was no point in arguing. At the hospital Naruto was scolded for holding off on medical care for so long and was then lectured by a doctor as he was being bandaged up. Throughout the whole ordeal, despite Naruto's constant claims that he was fine, Sasuke never left his side. Not once. Naruto considered it a win.

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**Laura: Lol Naruto you're such a dork. I love you and your buffoonery. You guys ever tried to do something nice for someone and totally fucked it up? I bought my Mom a Mother's day present and broke it before I even got home. (because I'm cool like that.) Thanks for reading peeps! Please leave a review if you've got the time ;] TTFN!**


	7. Mother Nature Is A Bitch

**Laura: Alrighty here's another one for you. I don't really have anything entertaining to say so... um... let's just move on, yeah? *Shudders* Enjoy...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Sasuke considered himself a decent human being. He kept to himself most of the time as to not cause any chaos, and he at least tried to be civil in aggressive situations. He had never intentionally tried to hurt another person, physically or mentally, and he always followed the rules that had been set out for him. He took pride in the traits he had acquired. He was a _good_ boy. Good behaviour was meant to be rewarded, that's what he had learned growing up. If you follow the rules and do as you're told you'll be offered a prize. But on the other hand if you break the rules you will be punished.

Bad people were supposed to be punished. That's supposed to be karma, right? Sasuke wasn't a bad person. He wasn't perfect, but he wasn't bad. So _why_ was he being punished? It didn't happen often. Sasuke went to great lengths to make sure it happened as little as possible, but some things in life are just unavoidable, like puberty or death... Sasuke knew they were an important part of the natural balance of things. He knew they played an active role in the ecosystem. He knew they did goodfor the planet he lived on.

In reality, Sasuke should probably be thanking them for their contribution to society. He should be fascinated by them, studying them and their patterns. Sasuke was sure he would be if they just weren't so god damn terrifying. Throughout his entire childhood he had tried to convince himself that they were just a figment of is imagination. Nothing but a nightmare that occasionally decided to rear its ugly head in his face. It was mostly their appearance that set Sasuke's teeth on edge. They have eight legs. Why does it have to be eight? They also have eight eyes. What animals have eight eyes?

Why does it have to be _eight_?

As if their mere existence wasn't enough, there are numerous different breads ranging in colour and size. What was wrong with just one kind? If we really need these things then why couldn't they be cute like a puppy or fluffy like a kitten? Why did they have to be so _ugly_? Why are some made venomous? Don't we have enough poisonous animals already? Why did they have to scurry across the floor the way they do? Why were they given the ability to crawl up walls and sneak into rooms undetected?

Why did they have to be so _sneaky_? Why couldn't Sasuke just avoid these fuckers?! All he wanted to do was have a peaceful shower and then make himself a snack. Was that really too much to ask? Yes he got his undisturbed shower, but that was only because he was blissfully unaware of the horrors that awaited him just on the other side of the curtain. Sasuke shut off the water, wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the tub. The element of surprise is and always will be their most affective weapon.

Sasuke didn't see it right away. He honest to god almost stepped on the thing. If it hadn't been for the quick spec of black in his peripheral vision, things may have turned out very differently. Sasuke screamed, yes screamed, as the little monster twitched in response. Whoever said size doesn't matter was a fucking liar. Size _matters_. It matters a whole damn lot. Little ones… Sasuke could deal with little ones. They were practically invisible if not viewed from close range. But this one in particular… the first one Sasuke had seen in _months_ was by no means little.

It was colossal. It was massive! It was… probably the size of a penny. Everything that happened next was almost too quick for Sasuke to process. The black dot of death crept forward for reasons unknown, and Sasuke found himself jumping onto the counter, knocking over a cup filled with toothpaste and his toothbrush. The dropped items must have scared it because its movements became more erratic as it hurried back to its original position.

The bastard was too close to the door for him to be able to make a safe escape, and he was seriously lacking in blunt objects to throw at it. Sasuke couldn't move. And so the stand off began. Sasuke was sure it was toying with him at this point. It hadn't moved in what seemed like hours. Since when are these things _not_ moving?! It probably enjoyed causing so much pain to someone who was so much bigger than it.

Fucking sadist.

"Just leave me the fuck alone!" Sasuke screeched down at the beast as he pulled his legs safely up against his chest. "Go away!" But of course it didn't go away. It just sat there. Mocking him. Why was he yelling at a spider? For Christ sakes he needed to see a therapist about this phobia. It was bordering on psychotic. After what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time later, Sasuke heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing. It was literally the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life. "Naruto!" The name ripped from his throat on its own accord. "Get in here now!"

"Sasuke? Where are you?" Came the confused reply followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the hall. "I'm in the bathroom! _Hurry_!" As requested the steps quickened in pace. A second later, which was much to long in Sasuke's opinion, Naruto appeared in the bathroom doorway, looking both concerned for his roommate and ready for the worst. Nothing appeared to be wrong at first glance.

It almost gave Sasuke a sense of comfort to know he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed the monster right away. Naruto looked over at Sasuke who was still clinging to the counter for dear life and questioned him with his eyes. Sasuke erratically pointed down at the floor and whimpered as the source of his distress moved again. Naruto followed his direction and frowned when he couldn't figure out what was causing Sasuke so much panic. "Sasuke, I'm not following you here."

"The spider! It's a spider! Kill it! Kill it now!"

"A spider?" Naruto squinted down at the floor. It still took him a second or two before he saw it. It honestly wasn't that big… "Oh. Yeah, what about it? It's just- wait." Naruto looked back up at Sasuke dumbfounded. "You're not afraid of spiders are you?"

"They're sent straight from hell! Kill it!" Naruto stood there for a moment with his eyes bulging and his mouth agape. Was he serious? He couldn't be serious. Sasuke pushed himself so far back he practically knocked the mirror off its hook. Sweet baby Jesus he was serious. "Oh my god." Naruto snickered as he rubbed his hand over his mouth in amazement. "This is really happening."

"Kill it!" Naruto shook his head as if to break himself out of his state of disbelief and then knelt down next to the spider, taking a little too much pleasure in the way Sasuke whinged in protest. "Aw but look at it Sasuke. It's just a little baby."

"It's the devil! Just fucking kill it!" Naruto smirked as he gently scooped up the arachnid in his hands. "Honestly Sasuke, this is too much. Would you mind staying like that until I get my camera? I wanna remember this for the rest of my life."

"Naruto _please_!" The blonde rolled his eyes not believing how childish the Uchiha was being as he climbed back onto his feet. As he met Sasuke's absolutely appalled expression he decided he would give the Uchiha a break and quit teasing him. For now. "Alright, alright I'll get rid of the itsy bitsy spider for you. But I'm not gonna kill it. I ain't a murderer."

"I don't care just get it away from me!" One last chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as he headed for the door. Before leaving, Naruto turned back to his roommate and smirked. "By the way your towel fell off. Now we're even." It took Sasuke a minute or two to figure out what the blonde had said to him. Slowly he looked down at the floor and was horrified to find the white piece of fabric that was supposed to be covering his goods had in fact fallen off sometime during the whole debacle.

Sasuke felt torn between being relieved that he was once again free to move, and completely embarrassed that Naruto had seen him naked. As Sasuke climbed down from the counter on wobbly legs he vowed to himself that he would get help. He also vowed to lock Naruto out of the apartment until he agreed to disinfect his hands. They were tainted by Satan's spawn. He'd probably just have to cut them off.

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**Laura: Oh god everything about this chapter is just cringe worthy. There is a very high possibility that Sasuke's reaction was based off my own reactions... FUCK SPIDERS MAN. I can't deal with them! I seriously had goose bumps while writing this whole thing. Ugh... they are just... terrible. Anyway! Thanks for reading blah blah blah. Leave a review blah blah blah. See you in the next one! Hugs! (PS: Did I really just compare spiders to puberty and death...?)**


	8. Congratulations, It's A Boy!

**Laura: Alright I have a bit of a longer one for you here. Consider it a treat from me to you! I'll warn you now, there is a major lack of Naruto and Sasuke interaction in this chapter, but for Sasuke we're going to see some much needed character development. Also at the end (if you stick around that long.) You'll see that Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is slowly, but surely, starting to change. (Spoiler alert?) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"Alright, okay you can do this. He's just a person Naruto. You've bonded over severe burns and the horror of spiders. You've just gotta persuade him. There's no way he'll say no." Naruto tried to convince himself that what he was about to attempt would all work out in the end, but he was having a hard time believing his own words. The blonde was standing in front of the door to his apartment. He reached out to grab the knob a few times, but ultimately chickened out. Naruto looked down to his left with a sour expression when the source of his misfortune snorted in amusement. "You sound like an idiot." Konohamaru smirked as Naruto glared at him. "Now you listen to me you little thumb sucker. If this is going to work you're going to have to keep your mouth shut."

"Don't feel like it." The brunette answered automatically. He was thoroughly enjoying the way the vein in Naruto's forehead throbbed in irritation. "Fine. I'll give you 6 bucks if you keep your mouth shut for 10 minutes."

"Make it 20."

"20?! You're 10 years old! What could you possibly need money for?!"

"Hot wheels."

"Hot whe-?! Forget it! There's no way!" Konohamaru sniffed as he crossed his arms stubbornly. "Then I'm not going."

"Oh you're going." Naruto assured the brunette as he grabbed his arm to prevent any attempts at an escape. "And if you even try anything funny I'll lock you in the washing machine while it's running!"

"I'm gonna tell Auntie Kushina that you threatened me!" Naruto smirked as he pulled out his key. "Go ahead. She'll probably agree with me."

"Nuh uh!" Konohamaru whined. "Uh huh!" Naruto whined back in a mocking tone. The two fell into a heavy silence as Naruto stuck the key into the lock and grabbed the handle. "20 bucks..." Naruto begrudgingly agreed after a minute or so. "What?"

"Shut up for 10 minutes and I'll give you your 20 bucks. Do we have a deal?" The blonde stuck out his hand towards his cousin as his shoulders drooped in defeat. Konohamaru shook his hand enthusiastically at the promise of more money. "Bribed by a 10 year old..." Naruto sighed as he unlocked the front door. "Unbelievable..."

"Well, you are an idiot."

"_Stifle_!" Naruto herded the kid inside before shouting out the Uchiha's name down the hall. Sasuke immerged from his room a few seconds later looking annoyed at having been disturbed on his day off. "If you could refrain from using your outside voice _inside_, that would be great." Sasuke grumbled as he headed down the hallway. The Uchiha abruptly stopped when he saw the little boy standing next to Naruto. Konohamaru smiled brightly up at Sasuke making the Uchiha feel obligated to return an uneasy smile of his own. "Who's this?" Sasuke asked as he looked back up at Naruto curiously. "Sasuke this is my cousin, Konohamaru. And Konohamaru this is my roommate Sasuke."

Naruto could tell by the way Sasuke shifted uncomfortably as he greeted the child that he probably didn't have much experience in dealing with children. "Sorry I didn't give you a warning, but my parents kind of dumped him on me at the last second. Apparently they're busy, but I think it was probably just because they were getting sick of the little twerp." Konohamaru knew he couldn't yell at the blonde without breaking their deal so instead he settled for punching Naruto in the thigh. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to make Naruto glare down at him angrily.

Sasuke watched in mild amusement as the two of them stared each other down, both of them refusing to give in. "Anyhow," Naruto eventually said as he broke eye contact to look back up at Sasuke. "I'm stuck with him for the whole day which is a big problem for me. You see," Naruto scratched at the back of his head sheepishly as Sasuke raised his eye brow in question. "I sorta kinda forgot that I have an important test this afternoon and I really need to get some studying time in before I go. I also need to run a few personal errands. Seeing as how I can't take him with me, and that it's your day off, I was wondering if maybe you could-"

"Absolutely not." Sasuke quickly cut him off as he realized what the blonde was getting at. "Aww come on Sasuke, why not?"

"I think that's pretty self explanatory Naruto." Naruto pouted as Sasuke crossed his arms as if to say there was no possibility of him changing his mind. "I swear you won't even notice that I'm gone! As soon as I'm done with the test and everything else I'll come back and take him off your hands."

"Naruto, I've never babysat a kid in my life! How do you know I won't end up killing him the second you walk out that door?"

"Because I trust you." Naruto said easily as he forcefully pushed Konohamaru in front of his roommate. "You two crazy kids have fun now." Naruto grinned before he turned on his heels and hurried back to the front door. "Naruto don't you dare leave me with him!" Sasuke shouted in a panic as the blonde slipped through the door. "Thanks! I owe you big time Sasuke!" And with that the door slammed shut behind him. Sasuke's fists clenched and unclenched as he glared daggers at the closed door. "Dammit Naruto, you son of a-" Sasuke quickly caught himself before uttering the curse word. He slowly looked back down at Konohamaru who had been surprisingly quiet throughout this whole introduction. "Uh, I guess it's just you and me now, huh?" Sasuke forced out a laugh in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere, but the brunette remained unresponsive as he stared up at him. "Look umm… I'm not really good with this whole babysitting thing so-"

"I don't need a babysitter! I can take of myself!" The sudden outburst startled Sasuke into taking a step back. "How old are you anyway…?" He asked wearily. "10 and a half!" Konohamaru answered with a proud sneer. Sasuke glowered at the little boy but the anger wasn't directed at him specifically. _'That moron seriously dumped his 10 year old cousin with someone who has no experience in taking care of children?! How irresponsible could you get?' _It's not like Sasuke could just leave him in parking lot or in at a shopping mall. And clearly locking him outside of the apartment all day would be frowned upon. _'Dammit!'_ Sasuke thought bitterly. '_I guess I have no choice.'_ "Alright listen up." Sasuke spoke in a clear, demanding tone of voice.

"If you're going to be staying here you're going to have to follow the rules." Sasuke figured it would be a smart idea to lay down the law before the brunette got too comfortable. "This is my home, and while Naruto's gone I'm in charge. What I say goes, you got that?" Konohamaru's eyes narrowed into a tight glare as Sasuke tried to be as intimidating as possible. "The same rules that apply to Naruto apply to you too. If you make a mess, clean it up. Use your inside voice at all times and don't touch anything that looks expensive." As an after thought Sasuke added. "Oh, and stay out of the kitchen. If you get hungry I'll make you something."

"No." It was a simple one worded answer, but it completely threw Sasuke off guard. "Excuse me?" He asked bewildered. Sasuke grew up in a very strict household where obedience and respect for your elders would trump all else. To have a young boy so blatantly refuse his orders seemed tremendously foreign to the Uchiha. "I don't have to listen to you. You're not the boss of me." Before Sasuke could think up a good retort, Konohamaru took off down the hall and disappeared beind one of the closed doors. _'At least it's not my room.'_ Sasuke thought with a little relief as he let out a long, troubling sigh. A small, childish part of Sasuke secretly hoped that the little brat would trash all of the blonde's things. _'That would teach him.'_

* * *

Konohamaru stayed in Naruto's room for a good two hours before he finally came out around 12:30 demanding food. Not asking, but demanding. Sasuke was torn between scolding the kid and simply giving him what he wanted in order to avoid conflict. In the end, Sasuke decided to bite his tongue and make the brunette a grilled cheese. Turns out Konohamaru was lactose intolerant, so the sandwich ended up in the garbage. Sasuke made him a quick bowl of tomato soup. Konohamaru claimed that tomatoes made him sick. Sasuke offered to make him a PB&amp;J. Konohamaru didn't like blueberry jam. It wasn't until the brunette turned down a green apple declaring it was too hard eat that Sasuke finally lost his temper. "Then what do you want?!" Sasuke growled as he placed the apple back in the fruit bowl. "Hot dogs." Sasuke grit his teeth together. "I don't have hot dogs."

"Why not?!"

"Because they're full of gross things that are bad for you!"

"I don't care! I want hot dogs!"

"That doesn't change the fact that I don't have any!"

"Go get me some!"

"That's not happening!" Sasuke couldn't believe he was actually standing in the kitchen arguing with a 10 year old about hot dogs. He didn't know how and he didn't know when, but one day Naruto was going to pay for this. 15 minutes later Konohamaru was stuffing his face with giant, overly priced hot dogs from a street vender at the park. Don't ask how it happened. Sasuke refuses to talk about it. "Happy now?" Sasuke grumbled and groaned as he forked over another handful of coins. "I wanna play on the jungle gym."

"Then go." Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't glad for the alone time. This wasn't how his day off was supposed to go. This was his time to de stress after a long week of classes and studying. It was supposed to be his free time to do whatever he wanted because he had earned that time. He _deserved_ it. Nothing about this situation was fair. The blonde had completely screwed him over probably without even noticing! _'I hope you fail that test…_' Sasuke thought with a pout as he pulled out his cell phone checking to see if he had wifi or not. Around 1:45 pm Sasuke started to become impatient and told Konohamaru it was time to go back.

You can imagine how that went.

Konohamaru climbed onto the very top of the jungle gym and refused to come down no matter how much Sasuke threatened him. The brunette almost fell off a few times giving Sasuke no other choice but to climb up after him. He felt absolutely ridicules and humiliated as he crawled through the tunnels and swung across the monkey bars. At some point Konohamaru began laughing hysterically at Sasuke's expense when the Uchiha got stuck going through a small hole near the top. After the initial shock of being legitimately stuck, Sasuke had to admit it was a little comical, but that didn't stop him from glaring at the kid with murderous intent. For whatever reason, Konohamaru decided to take pity on him and helped push Sasuke back out the other side.

The two of them climbed back down to the ground together and exchanged subtle glances before heading back to the car. On the way back home Sasuke found out that Konohamaru hated the radio just much as he did. It wasn't much, but it was something to talk about. Once they were back home Sasuke set Konohamaru up with a movie while he went back into his room to tidy a few things up. Konohamaru lost interest in the movie fairly quickly then decided to join Sasuke in his room. Sasuke felt a little on edge as the brunette poked around his personal items, but he figured there were worse things he could be doing then invading his privacy. "I wanna play a game." Konohamaru announced out of the blue. Sasuke paused as he was organizing his bookshelves. "What kind of game?"

"Hide and seek!"

"I'm too old to play hide and seek." Sasuke sighed as he sat down at his computer desk. "You're never too old to play hide and seek!" Konohamaru urged as he hopped off of Sasuke's bed and raced over to the older man. "Come on come on! You can count and I'll hide. It'll be really fun!"

"I seriously doubt that." Konohamaru's bottom lip jutted out in a pout as he crossed his arms childishly. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much he looked like Naruto in that position. "Why are you so boring?" He asked. "It's called maturity, Konohamaru. One day you'll understand."

"Just because you're old doesn't mean you have to be grumpy all the time." Sasuke rubbed at his temples and sighed before slowly turning to face the young boy. "One. Two." Konohamaru's face lit up in triumph as he dashed out of the room to find a good hiding spot.

Ironically, Sasuke had found him hiding behind the washing machine.

* * *

By the time 4 o clock rolled around the two boys had engaged in quite a few different activities. After hide and seek, which obviously Konohamaru had won, the brunette convinced Sasuke to take part in a treasure hunt. He had hidden one of Sasuke's old spelling bee trophies somewhere in the house and gave Sasuke hints about its location. Next, Sasuke had offered to teach Konohamaru how to play Monopoly. It took a little while for him to catch on, but once he had the basics down the two of them found themselves actually having a pretty good time. Konohamaru even managed to beat Sasuke in the long run, but you didn't hear that from me. Their final activity involved tying bandanas around their foreheads and dressing in all black pretending to be ninjas.

But again, you didn't hear that from me.

For dinner, Sasuke decided to make them both chicken strips and homemade French fries. As a kid, this was one of Sasuke's favourite meals. It almost felt nostalgic to be eating it again. It was nice. "So, you've been staying with Naruto's parents?" Sasuke tried to strike up a conversation at the table as he popped a fry into his mouth. Konohamaru nodded excitedly at the mention of his amazing Aunt and Uncle. "Auntie Kushina and Uncle Minato are the best! They always take me out to do stuff! Like yesterday we went mini golfing and then went to the movies!"

"Is that so?"

"Uh huh!" Konohamaru grinned as he bit into a chicken strip smothered in BBQ sauce. "Do you visit them often?" Sasuke asked curiously as he sipped at his coke. "Usually a few times a month. My parents-" Konohamaru abruptly stopped talking as his smile faded away into a frown. Sasuke raised his eyebrow in question as the brunette appeared to shut down right in front of his eyes. _'Was it something I said?'_ Sasuke thought anxiously as Konohamaru pushed around a couple of fries on his plate. "My parents aren't around much." He mumbled eventually into his lap. And that's when Sasuke finally understood. His snarky attitude towards other people. His lack of respect towards authority figures. It all made sense.

Sasuke smiled thoughtfully against his fork. "Not having parents around is tough, huh?" Konohamaru nodded miserably before chomping into a fry. "I know how you feel." The brunette slowly glanced back up at Sasuke. "You do…?" Sasuke nodded. "You see, my parents died in a car crash when I was fairly young. And it left my brother and I to fend for ourselves. It was hard, but we managed to get through it together. So yes, I know what it's like to not have a parent figure in your life, but if you think about it, you're pretty lucky." Konohamaru tilted his head to the side not fully understanding what he was saying. "It sounds like you've got two people who care about you very much. You should always treasure their company."

"Three." Konohamaru corrected him. "Hmm?"

"There's three of them. You left out Naruto."

"I thought you and Naruto didn't get along very well...?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Well, this morning-"

"Oh." Konohamaru's face suddenly lit up again with a blinding smile. "That's just something that we do! Isn't that how brothers are supposed to act?" Sasuke looked confused. "Brothers?"

"Yeah! Naruto said we could be brothers forever! He may seem stupid, but he's actually really cool! He's the one who usually plays hide and seek with me, and he taught me how to play soccer and baseball! He even gave me his X box!" Konohamaru actually sounded proud of the blonde as he explained to Sasuke all of the things Naruto had done for him. Sasuke simply watched as Konohamaru dug back into his food seeming to completely forget about his absent parents as we went on and on about how awesome Naruto was. _'So Naruto takes care of him too?' _Sasuke took another sip of his coke before a small, discrete smile crept its way onto his face. _'Who would have thought…'_

* * *

Around 7:30 Naruto dragged himself back into the apartment only to find the most shocking thing he had seen in a long time. Sasuke was sitting comfortably on the couch with a book in his hands and Konohamaru's head on his lap snoring peacefully. Sasuke looked up as Naruto quietly walked into the living room, careful not to disturb the boy on his lap. "Okay, what have you done with my cousin?" Naruto asked in mock accusation. Sasuke smiled easily as he looked down at the boy. "He passed out after a few episodes of Scooby Doo. I guess he was tired." Sasuke looked back up at Naruto in mild curiosity. "How did the test go?" Naruto ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't know. I was having a hard time focusing."

"Why is that?" The blonde frowned, clearly upset. "Because I felt guilty." Sasuke studied his expression thoroughly a moment or two. This morning the Uchiha would have probably rejoiced in the blonde's misery, but he didn't feel angry anymore. If Sasuke was being honest with himself, it was probably the most fun he had had in a long time. "I'm really sorry Sasuke. It wasn't fair of me to-"

"It's alright. It actually wasn't that bad." Naruto's eyes widened. "Seriously?" Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at his flabbergasted expression. "Seriously." Naruto couldn't believe his ears. And honestly he was having a hard time believing his eyes as well. Sasuke looked perfectly content. Peaceful even. It made a warmth spread through Naruto's chest at an almost painful rate. What was that about...? "It looks like you're pretty good at this after all, huh?" Naruto said, grinning now as he shook off the strange feeling. "You must have a talent for it. Let me just get changed and then I'll take him back to my parents." Naruto said this over his shoulder as he went into his room and shut the door quietly behind him. Sasuke watched him go before gazing back down at the sleeping brunette. "I'm not the only one…" Sasuke whispered absent mindedly to himself. _'Maybe there's more to you than I thought.' _

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**Laura: Hahaha kids. Gotta love them. (and hate them at the same time) XD So it looks like Sasuke isn't such a stick in the mud after all! And we also learned a little bit more about Sasuke's home life. Poor guy... I really need to write a fic where his parents aren't dead... Anyway, looks like our stubborn Raven is starting to realize that Naruto isn't just a big dumb jock. Who else is excited?! Thanks for reading, please review and I'll see you guys in the next one! **


	9. Bottoms Up

**Laura: Hey guys, sorry this chapter is a day late but I was too occupied with dying yesterday to get anything done. I was terribly ill and it got ugly. The rest is TMI. I still haven't fully recovered yet so I'm planning on taking things easy for the next couple of days. Also, on a completely unrelated note, I'm going to be taking a short break from this story to regroup and write a few chapters in advance so you guys won't have to wait for very long. It shouldn't be more than a week or two. To make up for this I'm giving you another longer chapter! :D I don't want to make a habit of this but whatever happens happens I guess. Haha, anyway guys please continue with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"Skating?"

"Too cold."

"Pizza palace?"

"Too greasy."

"Okay, then how about a concert?"

"Too crowded." Naruto sighed as he crossed out yet _another_ item on his mental checklist. "Strip club?" Sasuke grimaced. "Unsanitary." _'Yeah, that was a long shot._' Naruto thought as he scratched at the back of his head clumsily. "You don't need to do this." Sasuke sighed as he placed a pale blue plate into the dishwasher. "I already told you it wasn't that big of a deal."

"Even so, I don't like feeling like I owe people. That's how you get turned into a sex slave." Sasuke went to great lengths not to choke on his own spit as Naruto passed him another dirty dish. "You don't owe me anything..." Naruto huffed stubbornly as he reached over top of Sasuke to close the dishwasher. "I'm taking you somewhere as a thank you for looking after my evil cousin and that's that." Sasuke raised his eyebrow as Naruto glared him down stubbornly. It's not that Sasuke didn't appreciate the blonde's attempts at thanking him; he just didn't think it was necessary. It was a Friday night and Naruto had made it painfully obvious that he had blown off his other friends so he could take Sasuke somewhere fun.

Sasuke was positive that he had a very different idea of fun then the blonde did, but he also knew that saying no at this point wasn't really an option. They lived together. It wouldn't take long until the Uchiha would break from the blonde's constant badgering. "What about a bar?" Sasuke made a sour face"Sitting around with a bunch of drunken old men watching sports that I don't care about while they all make inappropriate passes at the waitresses? No thanks." Naruto frowned as Sasuke motioned for him to wipe down the kitchen counter with a damp cloth.

"You have so little faith in me, don't you? I know nice bars. I'll take you to my favourite. It's called 9 Tailed Fox. You've heard of it, right? Real classy place. There's darts and pool and everyone's always smoking cigars and wearing top hats. It'll be sophisticated fun." Sasuke looked over at him sceptically. "Okay, so maybe there aren't any cigars and top hats, but I wasn't lying about the darts and pool table." Sasuke contemplated his roommates offer for a minute or two as Naruto smiled at him hopefully. As mentioned before, it didn't take long for Sasuke to break. _'Dammit… why does he have to smile like that…?_'

Sasuke bit his bottom lip before sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine. You win. But I'm telling you for the millionth time you don't need to do this." Naruto shrugged. "I know." He finished wiping down the counter before turning to grin at Sasuke. "I want to. You know, for a guy whose such a stickler for the rules, you can be pretty cool sometimes." Sasuke stared at him longer than what was probably considered appropriate before quickly nodding and retreating back to his room to change his clothes. _'Stupid smile… Why can't he just be miserable like everyone else?!' _

Around 7 pm Naruto and Sasuke grabbed their coats and left the apartment to start their journey towards the bar. Like the responsible drinker he was Naruto had suggested that they just walk to the bar then take a cab home. Sasuke didn't really have any intention of drinking despite the fact they were going to a bar, but he decided to keep that little detail to himself as he quickly followed behind his roommate. It was a little colder than they had expected, but Naruto promised that once they got inside they'd surely be toasty warm for the rest of the evening. As the two rounded another corner they were greeted by a great big neon sign that read '9 Tailed Fox' in bright red letters.

Sasuke eyed the sign wearily as Naruto grabbed the door handle and heaved it open. "Come on. Let's grab a seat." Naruto motioned with his head for Sasuke to go inside first. The Uchiha glanced at the sign once more before rubbing his hands together and blowing on them as he brushed past the blonde and went inside. Naruto smiled to himself as he let the door close heavily behind them. He felt kind of proud of himself. In the beginning if someone had told him he would be taking Sasuke Uchiha to a bar he would have told them it was time to kick the pot addiction. Funny how things turn out sometimes, huh? Sasuke hated to admit it, but the place wasn't that bad.

The tables and floors looked relatively clean, and there was only a hand full of the people sitting at the bar enjoying their drinks and making light conversation. From first glance it didn't seem like anyone was too intoxicated yet, but the night was still young. Naruto immediately headed towards the bar and Sasuke quickly scurried after him. The last thing he wanted was to get separated from the blonde and end up wandering around the bar aimlessly. The bar tender was young woman, probably no older than 23. She was wearing a tight leather tank top that pushed out her bosom nicely and a pair of skinny jeans that looked as if they had been painted directly onto her skin.

Her most prominent features were the snake bite piercings she had on her upper lip and her fiery orange hair that was tied into a tight ponytail at the back of her head. "Dammit, not you again." The woman groaned as Naruto stepped up to the counter. "Hello _Aya_. How's your night going?" Naruto purred as he leaned his elbows onto the counter, making himself comfortable. "Pretty good up until a few seconds ago." Naruto pouted at Aya's sneer as Sasuke did his best to stifle a snicker. "Oh, and who is this?" Aya asked as she blatantly ogled Naruto's company. Sasuke shifted awkwardly on his feet as Naruto introduced him. "Aya, Sasuke. Sasuke, Aya."

Aya ignored the man at the other end of the counter trying to wave her over and instead reached across the bar to shake Sasuke's hand. Sasuke smiled and shook her hand out of politeness but he still felt uncomfortable under the gaze of her hungry eyes. He knew that women often stared at him in inappropriate ways. It had been happening to him ever since he hit puberty. Maybe even before that. But no matter how long it had been, Sasuke never got used to being stared at like he was just a piece of meat. It was intimidating, not to mention insulting. "So sweetie," Aya began as she grabbed a dish cloth and began wiping down the counter.

The man at the other end of the bar once again tried to gain her service but Aya paid him no mind, her full attention still on Sasuke. "How'd you end up with a douche bag like him?" Sasuke assumed she was talking about Naruto. He opened his mouth to respond, not knowing exactly how he was going to answer the question, but Naruto cut him off before he could talk. "Oh quit picking on me. I'm your favourite costumer and you know it." Naruto flashed her that stupid toothy grin and almost immediately Aya's frown disappeared into a challenging smirk. Apparently Sasuke wasn't the only one Naruto could bewitch with that brilliant smile.

"He's my roommate." Naruto explained as he passed Aya a few stray coasters that had been scattered across the counter. "Actually, he's _my_ roommate." Sasuke corrected as he glanced at the blonde out of the corner of his eye, a sly glint in his smile. Naruto looked over at him for a moment then genuinely smiled knowing Sasuke felt comfortable enough around him to crack a joke. Aya looked between the two of them as they smiled at one another. "This a date?" She questioned as if she had just been casually asking about the weather. The two men quickly averted their gaze from each other as Aya watched them squirm with a knowing smirk.

"Shut up. I'm taken." Naruto responded in defence. Sasuke was sure the teasing would continue but instead Aya abruptly turned in the direction of the man who was _still_ waving his hand back and forth. "Listen jackass! I'm not blind! I can see your fucking hand just like you can see I'm trying to have a conversation with my favourite customer! Now quit waving your hand around like a brain dead pageant queen and I'll get to you when I fucking get to you!" You could practically see the fire in her eyes as she glared the man down. Seeing that most eyes were now directed solely on him, the man dropped his hands into his lap and ducked his head out of embarrassment and trepidation.

Sasuke sent Naruto a bit of a concerned look as Aya flipped the man the bird, but Naruto just smiled and shrugged his shoulders, hoping that was enough to calm his nerves. "She can be a bit of a hot head, but she's really harmless." Naruto assured in a comforting whisper. Aya quickly turned back to the two men and grinned as if she hadn't just struck fear into a full grown man's heart only a second ago. "Alrighty, what can I get for you gents?"

"Two beers?" Naruto asked as he looked over at Sasuke for approval. "Keep it simple?"

"Actually I'm not- I mean I don't really need-"

"Give us two beers." Naruto confirmed, not bothering to listen to the rest of Sasuke's protests. The blonde had a feeling Sasuke would try and duck out of having a drink but he absolutely wasn't going to allow it. Naruto's interest in what type of drunk Sasuke was would probably leave him with an empty wallet at the end of the night, but he figured it would be worth it, especially if he ended up being a giggly drunk.

It would _definitely_ be worth it then.

"Comin right up." Before Sasuke could even open his mouth a tall glass of beer was being pushed across the counter into his grasp. He took it with a very obvious frown while Naruto thanked Aya and told the Uchiha to follow him to a table. Naruto chose an area closer to the back of the room away from most of the people to make having a conversation a littler easier. Naruto casually pulled out Sasuke's chair with one arm as he walked by before pulling out his own and collapsing into his seat. Sasuke nodded as a sign of thanks before sitting down also. "Well?" Naruto asked while taking a sip of his beer. "Did I do good?"

Sasuke simply shrugged, refusing to stroke the blonde's ego as he peeled off his jacket and hung it from the back of his chair. It wouldn't kill him to admit that Naruto had done a good job, but it would be a nasty blow to his pride to admit he had been wrong about Naruto's favourite hot spot. "Another point for Naruto." He bragged with a cheeky grin as he lifted his glass towards Sasuke waiting for a toast. Sasuke frowned at the implication that he was somehow losing to his roommate, but raised his glass none the less. "To…" For some reason Naruto hesitated as Sasuke stared at him with an expecting look. The blonde found himself gazing into Sasuke's dark, ebony eyes as a relaxed smile appeared on his lips.

"To being non functional roommates!" Naruto cheered with a goofy grin. Sasuke couldn't contain his amused snort as he gently clinked his glass against Naruto's. "Cheers." It only took a few more cups of beer before Sasuke really began to loosen up and enjoy himself. He was a light weight. Naruto wasn't very surprised. Sasuke definitely didn't seem like the kind of guy who partied so much that he built up a high tolerance for alcohol. Naruto made sure to add in a shot or two for good measure. He wasn't going to make Sasuke pass out or anything like that, but he wanted to take advantage of Sasuke's unusual talkative behaviour.

He found out that Sasuke wanted to be an English teacher. Again, Naruto wasn't surprised. With the amount of time the Uchiha spent with his nose in a book the only other reasonable occupation would be a librarian. He also discovered that Sasuke apparently had an addiction to tomatoes. He babbled on for 10 minutes about how delicious they were and then another 10 minutes going on about how good they were for your body. Naruto thought it was a bit of a strange thing to be addicted to, but then he remembered his own obsession with ramen and decided to give the Uchiha the benefit of the doubt. Naruto eventually decided to interrupt Sasuke and suggested that they play a game of pool.

For most of the game Naruto had to teach Sasuke how to actually play but he didn't really mind. There was something cute about the way Sasuke would pout when he completely missed his target. Uh, I mean… well not cute but, uh… entertaining. Yeah, it was entertaining. Darts went a little better and actually ended up being a bit of a competition. Sasuke announced that the loser would have to pay the tab and Naruto agreed with zero intention of letting Sasuke actually pay. They played a few rounds and ended up with a tie. It only took Sasuke 5 minutes to convince Naruto they should just split the tab.

The two men were just about to get into a very lively discussion about their professors being soulless dicks when Naruto's phone suddenly began to buzz in his back pocket. He pulled it out and checked the caller ID. His face immediately lit up when he saw Sakura's name on the screen. "Hold on a sec Sasuke. I gotta take this." Sasuke nodded absentmindedly as he watched Naruto head into the bathroom to take the call. He swished his beer around a few times in his cup before taking a big gulp and finishing off his fourth glass. He knew he had over done it, but for some reason whenever Naruto was involved saying no was never an option.

Inside his foggy mind, Sasuke began to have the absurd thought that maybe the blonde had superpowers. Between his unbeatable charm and that god damn smile, the idea that he possessed some kind of supernatural characteristics would make sense. "Can I top you off?" Sasuke was startled by Aya's sudden voice appearing behind him. "No, 'm fine. I think I've had enough..." Sasuke was disappointed in himself when he heard how his words slurred together. Aya smirked as she pranced around the Uchiha and plopped down into Naruto's empty chair. "What's your secret?"

"Huh?"

"With Naruto you drunkard." Aya leaned across the table and shoved Sasuke's shoulder playfully. Sasuke quietly stared at her, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He couldn't possible figure out what she was referring to in his drunken state. Aya dropped her two booted feet onto the table and cradled the back of her head with her hands as she spoke in an informal tone. "That big ball of sunshine comes in here at least once a week with his crew and every time after a good 15 minutes he gets bored and wanders off. You've had his attention all night. So I'm just wondering how you did it." When Sasuke simply blinked at her Aya abruptly dragged her feet off the table and leaned forward on her elbows looking intrigued. "Did you bribe him? Did you promise him ramen or something? Oh, I bet you have something shiny."

"I… didn't do anything." Sasuke responded slowly, obviously still confused. "Really?" The Uchiha nodded. "Huh." Aya collapsed back into the chair with a perplexed expression on her face. "Well isn't that something." Sasuke titled his head to the side in question just as Naruto returned from the bathroom. "Excuse me miss, you're in my seat." Naruto said in a sickening sweet voice. Aya smirked up at Naruto as he gave her a look that clearly said "Move it or lose it."

"Why don't you pick me up? Better yet, how about you carry me to the back room? I'd be happy to make up for stealing your chair in the back room." There was so much innuendo in her words that even Sasuke could tell it was a deliberate invitation for sex. Sasuke automatically felt uncomfortable having a front row seat to this conversation but Naruto just shook his head and chuckled deep in his throat. "Sorry sweetheart. You're too late. Thanks though." Aya didn't seem discouraged by Naruto's rejection. She just shrugged and took Naruto's extended hand to help her back on her feet. "Your loss. You would have loved my piercings."

"I've already seen your piercings Aya." Naruto chuckled as he stole back his seat. He was referring to the pieces of metal on her lips. Aya smirked and then ran her hand through Naruto's hair seductively. "Not all of them." She winked. Sasuke found himself staring at his feet as his cheeks tinted pink from embarrassment. He was starting to think that maybe it was his turn to head into the bathroom. But again Naruto just shrugged her off with a mischievous laugh. "You know you could get in serious trouble for this. I don't appreciate being sexually harassed in my favourite bar."

"You gonna tell on me?" Aya played along as she ran her fingers down Naruto's chest, dipping them into the hem of his neckline. "No, but Sasuke might." At hearing his name, Sasuke slowly gazed up at the two only to find they were both staring at him. "What?" Sasuke asked as they both started to laugh at him. "You don't have to look so uncomfortable Sasuke! We're just goofing around. This is just how we are." Naruto clarified this with a big, toothy grin. "Shit he looks so cute! He's like a little lost puppy!" Aya quickly looked down at Naruto as Sasuke's blush deepened in colour. "You keep this one around, got it? Don't go fucking it up." She smacked Naruto upside the head for good measure. "Go do your job!" Naruto suddenly shouted like he was a parent scolding his child.

Aya stuck out her tongue and playfully flipped him off before moving to wash down a few of the dirty tables. Naruto smiled fondly at Sasuke as the Uchiha chewed on his bottom lip aggressively. "Wanna head back?" Sasuke nodded and quickly stood from his chair. "Let's go." The two grabbed their coats before heading to the counter to pay the tab. Sasuke could have sworn that he didn't pay as much as Naruto had, but the blonde had hurried him outside before he could really do or say anything about it. Aya was kind enough to call them a taxi as they were leaving the building. They waited out front under the sign so they would be easier to see. Sasuke suddenly began shivering and tried rubbing his arms to create some heat for his body.

He really should have picked a thicker coat. Naruto didn't really think it was that cold so he did what any gentlemen would do. He unzipped his coat and carefully draped it over the Uchiha's shoulders. Sasuke pulled the material tightly around his body, thankful for the extra warmth it provided. He mumbled a quiet thank you just as a yellow taxi pulled up in front of them. The ride back home was quiet. Sasuke was doing his best just to stay awake as they passed by street signs and closing shops. Naruto had his elbow resting against the window supporting his head up while his eyes closed in relaxation. He didn't expect Sasuke to be the one to break the peaceful silence. "-did good."

"You say something?" Naruto couldn't quite make out what he had said because of the quiet radio playing in the background and because he had apparently mumbled whatever it was into his coat. Sasuke looked over at Naruto with determination set in his eyes and said clear as day. "You did good." Naruto stared at him for a moment before making a fist and gently punching Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke's balance wasn't much better off his feet and his body swayed back easily with the punch. "Just wait till next time. I'll really blow your socks off then."

Sasuke could see Naruto's grin through the little glimmers of white and yellow as they passed by street lights, and for a moment, as the two of them sat together in the back of that little yellow cab, Sasuke felt at peace. The events that followed were a little fuzzy and unclear to the Uchiha. All he knew was that Naruto had pulled him out of the cab and helped him up the stairs to their apartment door. He somehow ended up in his bed with Naruto's jacket still draped over him. That night Sasuke fell asleep to the comforting aroma of mint and vanilla.

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**Laura: Things are looking gooooood. I'm really excited and I'm the one who is writing it XD This story is working out exactly how I wanted it to! That is a very satisfying thing for a writer so I'm super happy! Anyway guys hopefully I'll see you all after the little break and we can hop right back into this! Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review! Until next time my lovelies! Hugs!**


	10. Get Jiggy With It

**Laura: And we are back! Thanks for your patience guys. Let's get right into it!**

****DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.****

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When you think of Naruto Uzumaki what kind of words come to mind? Let's list them off, shall we? _Popular_? Of course, he's practically befriended the entire college, and that includes most of his teachers. _Amusing_? Naruto definitely knows his way around a joke. He's made Kiba piss his pants more times then he can count. _Confidant_? Most of the time, yes. Usually too much for his own good. More than often it came off as arrogance, but Naruto was simply comfortable in his own skin. He wished that everyone could have the same confidence as he did. _Enthusiastic_? Of course, it is Naruto after all. _Handsome_? Well… _obviously_.

Naruto considered himself a pretty cool dude. He kept up to date with all the modern technology and did his best to stay one step ahead of his friends so he always appeared to be the 'go to guy.' He was known as the leader, someone who could take charge and others would follow just because it was him. He knew he wasn't perfect and in reality it pissed him off when people would imply that he was. He had faults and all types of short comings. He was too emotional and sometimes his feelings get in the way of being rational.

He had a hard time keeping his focus when it came to really important things, especially when it came to school. And deep down he was probably more scared about becoming an adult then he was willing to admit. Most of these things he could handle and maybe even change, but there was one thing about Naruto that had stuck with him ever since he was a boy. It was a guilty pleasure that was too embarrassing for him to tell anyone about. His friends would make fun of him for sure. He could practically hear Kiba's hysterical laughter and Sakura's look of pure "What the fuck?"

Even his parents didn't know! Not a lot of people his age these days enjoy listening to music from the 70's and 80's. It didn't stop at just listening to these types of songs either. Ever since he was a little kid Naruto has had the constant need to move and whenever he hears one of his favourite songs he can't help but move to the beat. This never happens in public. He only allows himself to indulge into the wonderful world of disco balls and bad hair dues when he's absolutely sure no one is in sight. Today was one of those days.

Naruto had texted Sasuke around noon asking if he would be home anytime soon and Sasuke had told him he was going to visit his brother and wouldn't be back until later that evening. Naruto had jokingly suggested that he should meet Itachi which Sasuke had responded with a hesitant maybe. It made Naruto feel good, even if it was just meant to be a joke. Sasuke had been pretty laid back about the chores lately, shocking I know, and because of this Naruto wanted to do something for him. It wasn't much, but he figured the Uchiha would appreciate a clean apartment when he came home.

Blasting good music and cleaning the house has always been the only thing that could make chores bearable for the blonde. And now that he was sure he was going to be alone for the day he was going to take full advantage of it. Naruto dragged out his old CD player from his closet and set it up in the living room on top of the coffee table. He spent longer than he would have liked looking for the custom CD he had made years back in his room, but he eventually found the damn thing stuck behind his dresser. He was still a young teen when he had made the CD which would explain why **'Bitchin Songs'** was written in black sharpie on the front of the disk.

He popped the disk into the player and clicked the play button, grinning as he waited for the first song to start playing. As Hit me with your best shot came on, Naruto wrestled the vacuum out of the storage closet and began the tedious task of cleaning the carpet in the living room. The music was the perfect distraction, helping Naruto lose himself and fall into a state of pure music bliss. "Hit me with your best shot!" Naruto sang along as he began vacuuming to the beat. "Why don't you hit me with your best shot?" Naruto spun around in a circle causing the chord to wrap around his ankles and trip him up, but that didn't stop him from shouting out-

"Hit me with your best shot. Fire Away!" He fell to the ground soon after groaning and cussing as he tried to untangle himself. Next he decided to wash down all the counters and scrub the windows. He found his body jerking every now and then in some kind of dance move when a particularly catchy part of a song began to play. It wasn't until "Eye of the tiger" came on that things started to get ugly. Naruto hopped, skipped, and bounced around the apartment like a lunatic. Even going as far as to grab the mop he had been using to clean the floor and using it as a microphone, singing into the rubber tip.

"And the last known survivor stalks his pray in the night." Naruto took a very quick; deep breathe hoping he could finally hit that tricky note that had been mocking him for the last 7 years. "And he's watching us all with the _EYEEEEEEEE-_" Naruto held nothing back as he belted out the note as loud as he possibly could. It was a miracle that all the windows didn't shatter from the impact. "Of the tiger!" He finished with an animated bow and an excited punch into the air before cheering. "I totally nailed that shit!" Naruto didn't even need to check the case to know the order of songs. He had listened to this CD so many times that he had the playlist memorized.

He slid across the floor over to the kitchen counter and began tapping his fingers in time with the keyboard playing in the background. Instead of taking on the male role, Naruto found he had much more fun singing the female parts in an overdramatic, high pitched voice. "Oh - aoh – oh - oh – oh." He sang as he swayed his hands and hips from side to side in time with the singers. "Video killed the radio star! Video killed the radio star!" While signing along Naruto gathered up his and Sasuke's laundry from the hamper and dumped a load into the washing machine. "Pictures came and broke your heart. We can't rewind we've gone too far."

He slammed the door closed before running down the short hallway and falling to his knees, sliding across the freshly mopped floor. "Pictures came and broke your heart. Put all the blame on VCR!" As the song died out Naruto climbed back onto his feet and shook his head lightly, laughing at his own stupidity. Yeah he probably looked like an idiot, but he was having a blast. Enjoy the little things, right? Naruto spent about an hour cleaning the apartment and dancing to his favourite songs. Most of them had repeated at least 3 times by now but the blonde didn't seem to care.

Each time a song played Naruto was right there singing along with it. He was currently sorting through the DVD collection Sasuke had set up on a bookshelf in the living room. Unknown to the Uchiha, Naruto had completely destroyed his alphabetical order a few days ago on a particularly boring Friday evening. He figured it would be smart to put everything back the way it was before he got lectured and possibly banned from watching his roommate's movies. The blonde had his back turned to the front door as the final song on the CD began to play through the speakers again.

Since he was alone he had no choice but to sing the duet by himself. "Don't go breaking my heart." Naruto sang in his normal voice as he absentmindedly gathered all the movies that began with the letter A. "I couldn't if I tried." He sang in the best feminine voice he could muster. "Honey if I get restless. Baby you're not that kind." Naruto barked out a laugh as he realized how ridicules it sounded to be singing to himself like this. It was as if he was serenading himself. The embarrassment didn't stop him from going all out with his one man duet. At one point he even grabbed his handy mop again and pretended it was his dance partner.

He spun and twirled the mop around in his hands before leaning it down into a dip. Naruto paused in the middle of his puckered up kiss as he heard some kind of shuffling happening near the front door. He quickly looked up and felt his entire body go cold as his blue eyes met Sasuke's. Naruto froze, stuck in his awkward dipping position. Sasuke didn't seem to be able to move at the moment either. Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to think of something to say that would explain his bizarre behaviour.

Sasuke simply stood there blinking with his mouth slightly ajar. The music continued to blast through the speakers as the two of them had their staring contest. Finally Sasuke found his voice and spoke just loud enough so the blonde could hear him. "What… What are you doing?" Naruto gulped once before quickly looking down at himself then back up at his roommate. "What does it look like?" He chuckled nervously as he stood up straight to be eye level with the Uchiha. Sasuke gazed down at the mop still tightly clutched in the blonde's hands. "I- I'm not really sure…"

"I, uh, thought you were visiting your brother."

"We just went out for coffee…"

"Ah…" Naruto scratched at the back of his head and out of habit began to snicker at situation. Usually when he was embarrassed Naruto would just try to laugh it off to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. Even though he tried desperately to kill the awkward atmosphere, he was sure Sasuke could tell how fake his laugh was. "Well, I'm glad you're here!" Naruto cheered as his neck and ears flushed a light pink. "Now you can join me!" Naruto quickly rushed over to Sasuke's side and flung his arm over the Uchiha's shoulders in the spur of the moment. Sasuke was startled by the sudden movement and lost his balance slightly as Naruto clung to him. "And nobody told us."

The blonde began singing again into the mop head. He aimed the mop over at Sasuke's mouth waiting for him to sing the next line but unsurprisingly he never did. Naruto couldn't let himself get discouraged from fear of being completely humiliated and tried again. "And now it's up to us babe." He sang again before shoving the mop back in Sasuke's face. Sasuke looked over at him with the most absurd look on his face forcing Naruto to come to the realization that he wasn't going to budge. Naruto slowly slid his arm from Sasuke's shoulders and took an awkward step back. "I… I, um, I'm going to go study…" Sasuke quickly mumbled as he pulled off his jacket and rushed towards the hallway. "So, you know… Try to, uh, keep it down."

"Yup!" Naruto shouted back in an overly cheery voice, popping the P. "No problemo Sasuke! I'll-" Sasuke's bedroom door suddenly slammed shut, cutting him off. "Keep it down…" Naruto finished with a pout. The blonde face palmed as the song came to a close. _'Holy fuck! What does this guy have against timing?!'_ Naruto thought as his face burned from shame and humiliation. "I'm perfectly sane Sasuke!" Naruto found himself screaming down the hallway a second later. "I'm not crazy! My Mother had me tested!"

In between the small pause of silence as the CD started from the beginning again Naruto could hear laughter coming from Sasuke's room. The blonde found himself grinning so hard that his jaw started to hurt. "Well, there's only one thing left to do." Naruto sighed as he walked back into the living room. There was a distinct hop in his steps as he moved. "Air guitar! Hit me with your best shot! Why don't you hit me with your best shot?!"

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**Laura: Admit it, we all do this. Haha it's nice to get back into the humour, isn't it? Did you get the Big Bang Theory reference? ;D Thanks again for waiting my lovelies! I hope to see you in the next one. TTFN! (I'll try to update on Thursday but no promises!)**

**-Songs used- **

**Hit me with your best shot by Pat Benatar**

**Eye of the tiger by Survivor**

**Video killed the radio star by The Buggles **

**Don't go breaking my heart by Elton John **


	11. Here's To Never Growing Up!

**Laura: Yaaaay! I managed to update on Thursday! I finished this chapter at 2 am btw. Just a bit of fun trivia for you. More character development for Sasuke ahead! Read on my friends!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"No." The word almost felt foreign to the Uchiha as he glared up at his less than pleased roommate. Naruto had been living with Sasuke for almost 2 months now and not once had Sasuke ever been able to deny the blonde. However, this time around it seemed as if Naruto had pushed him to the limit. "Whadda mean no? I thought we were friends!" Naruto exclaimed. "We-" Sasuke gestured between the two of them. "_Are_ friends. But your friends are _your _friends, Naruto. I have no intention of butting into your personal life."

"That's what being friends means." Naruto jokingly bumped his hip against Sasuke's as the Uchiha rolled his eyes in good humour. "You're supposed to be pushy and nosey. What good is having friends if they don't drive you a little crazy?"

"I can drive you crazy from the comfort of our own home." Sasuke huffed as he sat down at his computer desk and booted up his lap top. "I don't need to be nor do I want to be a part of your circle of friends." As an after thought he added- "No offence." Naruto frowned before walking over to Sasuke's bed and collapsing onto the sheets. Sasuke never liked people laying down or even sitting on his bed.

He felt the urge to kick the blonde off of the mattress but instead he bit his tongue and managed to distract himself with an email sent from his brother. "You saying my friends suck?" The straight forward question made Sasuke smile despite his annoyance. "That's not what I'm saying at all." He reassured. _'Except Kiba. Kiba totally sucks.'_ "All I'm saying is I wouldn't feel right about tagging along on an outing that I clearly wouldn't be welcomed on."

"What do you mean? I'm inviting you."

"Naruto." Sasuke sighed as he spun around in his chair to look at his roommate. "Your friends don't even like me. I've had classes with some of these people and they've never even spared me a second glance." Naruto shook his head as if he was denying what Sasuke was saying. "That's just because they don't know you yet. Look, if I say you're cool then you're cool. They won't mind, really." Sasuke sighed and began rubbing at his temples. "As I mentioned before, even if they were fine with me tagging along I wouldn't want to go to a dumb amusement park anyway. It's childish."

"So you're fine with being a hermit for the rest of your life?" Sasuke's eyes slowly narrowed as Naruto glared back at him stubbornly. There wasn't any heat behind it, it's just that neither one of them was willing to give in so soon. "I have friends." Sasuke insisted. "What are their names?" Naruto challenged. "If I tell you then you'll just go and harass them." Naruto let out an annoyed huff before sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed so he could talk to his roommate properly. "Sasuke you can't let your lack of social skills stop you from trying new things."

"Oh nice. You're insulting me. That's a great way to get what you want."

"It's not like I'm asking you to spend a day with Satan. It'll only be a small group." Naruto began listing the names off on his fingers. "You, me, Shikamaru, Ino, Gaara, Kiba and Sakura. That's it."

"Sakura?" Sasuke couldn't stop himself from making a face. "Hey watch it. That's my girlfriend you're making a face at." Naruto defended his women like the valiant knight in shinning armour that he was. "No- no it's nothing like that." Sasuke quickly defended his actions. "I just don't think she and I could really be friends."

"Why? Because you saw us doing the do?" Naruto smirked at Sasuke's sour lemon look. "Oh lighten up Sasuke. That's all in the past. Once you see how sweet she is you'll totally forget you saw her naked."

"She's not the one I wish I could forget." Sasuke mumbled as he turned back to his computer screen. Naruto barked out a laugh as he climbed back onto his feet. "Sorry Sasuke but your put downs aren't gonna work on me. My self esteem is like waaaay up here." Naruto reached his long arm up above his head. "The sooner you give in the sooner we can get going." Sasuke ignored Naruto's teasing and tried to focus on sending his brother a response about whether or not he would be joining him for Spring break. Naruto stood there and pouted as Sasuke continued to ignore him. "Please don't make me beg. I'm not above kissing your feet Sasuke."

"Oh I'd love to see that." Sasuke responded sarcastically as he erased an entire line of nonsense he had written in his response. Focusing on anything with Naruto around just wasn't possible. To the Uchiha's surprise Naruto bent down and made a grab for Sasuke's ankle. Sasuke grabbed his hand with lighting reflexes. "Don't you dare." He warned in a low growl. Naruto simply smiled down at him before carefully removing Sasuke's kung fu grip on his wrist. "Then say you'll come with us."

"You're seriously still going on about this? Aren't you all too old for these kinds of things?"

"Come on Sasuke. If you won't do it for me then do it for yourself. It'll be good for you. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a new friend. You could even get a tan!" Sasuke didn't find Naruto's joke to be very funny. "Fine you dick. If you come with me then I'll do something for you."

"So now you're resorting to bribery?"

"Whatever you want I swear! Now _please _can you get ready so we can go?" Sasuke didn't object right away making Naruto grin victoriously. He knew Sasuke wouldn't be able to deny him for very long. He knew he was irresistible. Sasuke eventually responded with an empty sigh. He didn't really know why he even bothered fighting the blonde anymore. He just couldn't win. "What should I wear?"

"Something casual. No sweaters or cardigans. Shorts would be good. And for the record you're never too old to have fun." Naruto decided the conversation was over and quickly left the room before Sasuke could change his mind. "I have never worn a cardigan in my life…" Sasuke grumbled as he began rummaging through his draws for something more appropriate.

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Naruto couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to drag Sasuke into a situation he wasn't comfortable with. The sun was shining and Naruto was convinced that it was definitely a good omen. Sasuke on the other hand was just trying his best to make the butterflies in his stomach calm the fuck down. He always did this to himself. He got himself worked up about things that weren't necessarily a big deal in the first place. Sasuke wasn't a social person, he knew that.

He never felt the need to communicate with other people. It just didn't interest him. And now that Naruto was forcing him, he was worried he might embarrass himself by saying something stupid. The anxiety was really starting to get to him as he and Naruto entered the carnival. Naruto had said that his friends would be meeting them at the front gate and, sure enough, a minute or two later Naruto began frantically waving towards three men standing off to the side.

Sasuke found himself twiddling his thumbs in his pockets trying to calm his nerves as he begrudgingly followed Naruto over to his friends. "Sup bitches!" Naruto shouted as he and Kiba exchanged a fist bump. "Hey dude, settle something for us. This fucker over here thinks that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. And he's supposed to be smart." Kiba pointed over to a man with blood red hair leaning up against a trash can, glaring at him with vicious sea foam, green eyes.

Sasuke recognized him as Gaara from one of his English classes. "Would you please tell him he's a bigger idiot than you so we can move on?" Naruto appeared to be completely uninterested in their little argument and Kiba's snide comment, but a second later it was as if a light bulb went off inside his head and he stepped aside letting Sasuke into their view. "Why don't you ask Sasuke? He's the tomato fanatic." All eyes were immediately on Sasuke and the Uchiha suddenly felt the strong urge to clock his roommate on the head when everyone gave him a very odd look. "Huh?" Kiba asked dumbly.

"Sasuke this is Gaara." Naruto began the introductions ignoring Kiba's questioning look. As expected Naruto gestured to the red head who waved at Sasuke in a half assed greeting. Apparently Sasuke wasn't the only socially impaired person here. "That's Shikamaru." Naruto then pointed over to a man with a bored expression on his face. The brunette at least was polite enough to offer Sasuke a smile. "Yo." Sasuke silently nodded his greeting. "And of course you've already met Kiba." Kiba suddenly grinned a toothy grin making Sasuke grimace. "Hey there Mr Clean. Shouldn't you be at home scrubbing the toilets?"

"Hey there dog breath. Who let you out of your cage?" Kiba took a step back in admiration almost as if he was impressed that Sasuke had the guts to make a comeback in front of a group of strangers. "And for your information tomatoes _are_ fruits." Sasuke stated with a sense of self satisfaction. The brunette smirked. "He's cool with me." Kiba announced to Naruto with a hardy laugh. Naruto looked over at Sasuke and smiled down at him. "Told you. You're cool." Sasuke smiled back but there wasn't much confidence behind it. The day had only begun. "So where are the girls?" Naruto asked as he did a quick swipe of the park with his eyes.

Shikamaru was the one to answer him. "They went to freshen up. We've only been here for about 10 minutes so what exactly they have to freshen up I couldn't tell you." As soon as Shikamaru had finished his sentence a high pitched voice shouted behind the group of men. "Naruto!" Naruto grinned before he even turned around knowing who was going to be there to greet him. Sakura came rushing up to him with who Sasuke assumed to be Ino close behind.

Sakura flung herself into Naruto's awaiting arms before pulling away and kissing him deeply on the lips. Sasuke averted his gaze feeling both awkward and uncomfortable at seeing their PDA. Naruto and Sakura exchanged quick hello's before Naruto introduced Sasuke to Ino. "Well hello good looking." Ino purred as she fiddled with her hair. "Hi…" Sasuke rolled his eyes when he was sure no one was looking. _'Here we go again.'_ He thought with a groan.

* * *

Sasuke hadn't been to an amusement park since he was at least 5 years old. His parents had brought him and his brother to a local park for his birthday party. He didn't remember much from that trip with his family, and he had forgotten just how crowded and loud these kinds of events were. Luckily most of the children at the park had steered clear of most of the extreme rides that Naruto's groups of friends had been favouring. Kiba took the liberty of choosing the first ride.

The gist of the ride was crowding into an elevator where you're strapped to the floor and then dropped 130 feet towards the ground. It was appropriately named the Tower of Terror. Sounds like it could be fun, right? Well maybe it would have been if Kiba hadn't been teasing Sasuke relentlessly tricking him into believing they were going to drop prematurely. Kiba had done such a good job at building the tension that by the time the elevator actually dropped Sasuke let out a scream that could have easily rivalled Sakura's and Ino's.

As the group of friends stumbled out of the ride Sasuke vowed he would never go on another elevator in his life. For the next ride Ino had chosen a device that's soul purpose was to make you hurl. All it did was spin and spin and spin… Shikamaru had to sit this one out with the excuse of having a weak stomach leaving the rest of the gang to pile onto what Sasuke was sure to be the final resting place of his breakfast. It had been awful, just like Sasuke had imagined, but hearing the excited whooping and cheering coming from Naruto had somehow made it tolerable.

At least one of them was having a good time. The friends enjoyed a few more ridicules rides before deciding to get some lunch. What Naruto had placed in front of him Sasuke could hardly consider food, but he didn't want to stick out more than he already had by complaining. The corn dog was nothing but batter and the poutine had too much gravy. It wasn't until the treats came along that Sasuke began to really appreciate carnival food. The mini doughnuts were still warm and doughy, and the popcorn had the perfect amount of butter and salt.

Naruto had noticed Sasuke eyeing one of the candy apples dipped in chocolate and cover in nuts and decided to surprise his roommate with the treat. Sasuke had never had a candy apple before and thanked Naruto graciously for the delicious sweet. Sasuke didn't usually enjoy sweet things but today was full of new experiences. Why not come out of his shell for a few hours? Unfortunately a minute later Naruto purchased a bag of cotton candy for him and Sakura to share as they walked.

For some reason the apple Sasuke had been munching on started to taste bitter… He threw it away thinking his taste buds weren't used to the sugar over load. Out of all the rides at this crowded amusement park it was the roller coasters that Sasuke had liked the most. The first coaster was extremely fast and tall while the other specialized in nauseating loops. Sasuke found it thrilling, not scary. Maybe he should bring Itachi to one of these places… Lord knows his brother could use some excitement in his life.

* * *

By the time 3 pm rolled around Sasuke found he was actually starting to have a good time. He enjoyed having intelligent conversations with Shikamaru, and he found that he didn't actually hate listening to Ino jabber on and on about campus gossip. Gaara didn't talk much in the first place and Naruto was much too busy locking lips with Sakura to have a decent conversation... The Uchiha hadn't noticed he was bothered until it came time to ride the Farris Wheel. Naturally, Naruto and Sakura wanted to share a cart. They _were_ dating after all, and riding the Ferris wheel was usually considered a must for couples.

Sasuke knew that, but he couldn't stop this uneasy feeling from settling in his stomach as he watched the two of them cuddle up next to each other as the wheel began to move. Ino had forced him into a cart that just so happened to be directly behind Naruto's. It gave Sasuke the perfect view of their spit swapping. It pissed Sasuke off that he couldn't stop staring at them. It was like a horrible train wreck that he couldn't look away from. What the hell was wrong with him?! Even Ino's failed attempts at flirting with him did nothing to take away this burning in his chest.

The end of the ride couldn't come soon enough for the Uchiha, and as soon as they all regrouped in front of the ticket booth Sasuke decided he was ready to go home. Naruto had driven them to the park and was planning on driving them back, but apparently he hadn't had enough fun yet. He threw Sasuke his keys and told his roommate that he'd catch a ride home with Sakura. Again Sasuke felt that annoying burn in his chest. He could feel himself frowning as he watched them leave, Naruto's arm casually wrapped around Sakura's shoulders as they walked off.

Sasuke couldn't be sure of what he was feeling. After all he had never experienced such emotions before. But judging from all the evidence Sasuke had gathered throughout the day, he slowly came to a very absurd and disturbing thought. Maybe he was… _jealous_? Why on earth would Sasuke be jealous?! It was insane! He had absolutely nothing to be jealous about! But… on the off chance that this impossible theory was actually true… then Sasuke had but one very important question for himself._ 'Who exactly am I jealous of…?'_

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**Laura: Well it looks like the green eyed monster has come to bite Sasuke in the ass! The poor dear. But at least he got to have a little fun! That's always good, right? Don't worry Sasuke. I'm sure it's just a fluke... *Rolls eyes* Yeah right! Anyway guys thanks for reading! See you next week! ;D**


	12. Sasuke's Revenge

**Laura: Alright so here's this! I had the hardest time thinking of a title for this chapter so this is the best I got lol. I may change it if I think of something better. It is 3 am after all. Sorry this chapter was late friends! Let's go!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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There were very few things Naruto regretted in his life. He preferred to live in the moment and not let the past haunt him. He didn't like to relive moments that he couldn't change. There was no point behind it. But today Naruto was regretting something. More specifically he was regretting a decision he had made. The decision to be indebted to Sasuke Uchiha. When Naruto had promised to give the Uchiha whatever he wanted he hadn't really thought about what that entitled. He had done exactly what he hated to do. He now owed Sasuke something, and the something that Sasuke wanted was payback. Naruto had been completely stunned to find out that Sasuke hadn't appreciated their little trip to the amusement park.

He had thought that his roommate had had a good time hanging out with him and his friends, but apparently he was wrong. In fact, Sasuke seemed rather resentful about the whole thing. Naruto couldn't understand why Sasuke was so upset with him. He asked the Uchiha if he had done something wrong, but Sasuke had insisted that everything was fine. The uncomfortable silence that followed did little to reassure the blonde that they were still cool. He should have figured that once the two of them finally became friends that he would do something to screw it up. Naruto figured the only way to get on his roommates good side again and make up for whatever it was that he did would be to go along with his so called revenge.

The last place Naruto had expected to be on Friday afternoon was in a library. He couldn't understand why Sasuke liked this place so much. Naruto tried to spend as little time in these places as possible because he just couldn't stand the silence. Naruto absolutely hated being quiet. He was just a naturally loud person, and bringing him into any place that would repress that instinct was just cruel. "Do I really have to go in there?" Naruto whined as he came to a sudden halt in front of the entrance, stopping Sasuke beside him with his arm. "You said whatever I want, and I _want_ to go in the library."

"But why?" Naruto groaned dramatically. "It's Friday. We're supposed to be out partying right now! What could you possibly find entertaining about a library?"

"I have a meeting." Sasuke stated before taking a step towards the doors. Naruto once again reached out and stopped the Uchiha from walking away. "What kind of meeting?" The blonde questioned, wanting more details about what he had gotten himself into. Sasuke sighed in irritation as he was pulled off to the side. "A few students from English class, myself included, meet here every other week to read and discuss different types of literature." That was the only explanation Sasuke was willing to give his roommate before quietly entering the library. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait up." Naruto quickly followed after him as Sasuke headed down one of the isles that led to the back of the empty library.

"So not only did you drag me into a library on a weekend, but you're also making me sit in on your _book club_ meeting?!" Sasuke's facial expression remained impassive, but Naruto could tell he was enjoying his suffering. "Geez Sasuke, what did I do to piss you off so much?" Naruto hadn't really meant to be that blunt about it, but he was honestly curious about the answer. Sasuke didn't turn to face him, nor did he slow down his steps. For obvious reasons Sasuke couldn't answer the question honestly, so instead he said- "You're always dragging me into situations where I'm not comfortable and forcing me to do things that interest _you_. I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine." Naruto sighed. "And sitting around in an empty library on your day off discussing different books is really what interests you?"

"Yes." Naruto stared at the back of Sasuke's head inquisitively as the two of them came to the end of the isle. Sasuke really was the exact opposite of Naruto. He was so completely different from anyone he had ever met before. He knew that Sasuke could be playful and witty, but sometimes it's as if he completely buries that side of him and replaces it with this quiet, reserved, and quite frankly boring personality. Naruto didn't really mind this side of Sasuke. It was a nice change of pace compared to his other friends. He just wished the two of them had more in common.

The two men were then greeted with a small group of students sitting in a circle of chairs by the window. Everyone seemed to smile warily as Sasuke approached the circle with his guest close behind. The Uchiha smiled back politely as he sat down in the only available chair left. As far as first impressions go, Naruto decided pretty quickly that he was going to be the odd man out. "Sorry I'm late." Sasuke apologized sincerely to the group as Naruto slowly crept up beside him. "No worries, we're a little behind schedule today anyway." A man that looked strikingly similar to Sasuke that Naruto didn't recognize spoke up with a casual wave of his hand. "Who's your friend…?" A girl Naruto recognized to be Hinata Hyuga asked shyly from a few seats over.

Naruto sorta knew who she was because he was friends with her cousin Neji. "Oh, right." Sasuke reacted as if he had completely forgotten that the blonde was even there. Naruto frowned feeling the butt hurt starting to set in. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my roommate Naruto. Naruto, meet everyone." Naruto sent a quick glare in Sasuke's direction before forcing out the most convincing smile he could muster. "Uh, hey. How's it going?" Hinata was the only one who greeted him with a polite "Hello." and a smile. It wasn't hard for Naruto to realize he was an unwanted guest at this gathering. "I probably should have checked with you first, Sai…" Sasuke mumbled apologetically over to the dude who had spoken to him earlier. Naruto figured he was the boss or some weird shit like that. "Do you guys mind if he sits in on this one?"

"That depends." Sai said as he looked Naruto up and down with a critical eye. "Have you read Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift?" Naruto's head tilted to the side. "Who?" A thick silence fell over the group as Naruto stood there shifting from one foot onto the other. Sasuke shook his head in disappointment as he opened up his backpack and pulled out a copy of the book. "Trust me. The only piece of literature he's read is the TV guide. He can just sit here quietly like a good boy and watch. He won't disturb us. Right, Naruto?" Sasuke looked up at Naruto with a nasty glare that clearly said 'If you embarrass me in anyway I'll break both your arms off.' Naruto felt a little stab in his heart from the way Sasuke was treating him. He had thought they were over this kind of animosity, but it seemed as if they were heading back to square one.

Naruto could usually tell when Sasuke was just yanking his chain, but right now there was no mistaking it. His roommate was seriously pissed off and he was taking his anger out on Naruto. But he still didn't know why! What could he have possibly done to make Sasuke treat him like this? He didn't want to let it bug him, but for some reason that glare had really hurt his feelings. The blonde sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets deciding not to comment back. If Sasuke wanted to use him as a punching bag for the day then Naruto had no choice but to suck it up and take it like a man.

Sasuke pointed to a patch of carpet next to his chair and demanded for Naruto to sit down and shut up. The blonde could literally feel his pride as a young adult committing suicide by jumping out the window as he sat down Indian style on the floor. Maybe being a sex slave would have been better after all. For the next half hour Naruto sat there on the floor listening to a bunch of strangers using words that he had never heard before and phrases that he couldn't even begin to understand. They talked and talked and _talked_ about this apparently very famous book. It was the most boring thing he had ever experience in his entire life.

It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to stay awake the entire time. Even if he had passed out it's not like anyone would have noticed anyway. He may as well have been invisible. No one paid any attention to him whatsoever. Even Sasuke somehow managed to completely ignore him, despite the fact that he was sitting directly beside him. It brought back shitty memories of when Sasuke had ignored his existence the first time, after he had caught him and Sakura in bed. He really prayed that this was only temporary, but knowing how Sasuke never did anything half assed left him seriously doubtful.

After what felt like hours and hours of torture, Sai finally brought the meeting to a close and the group politely said their goodbyes. Naruto didn't even bother saying anything to anyone because really, he wanted nothing to do with these people. And it wasn't rude or judgmental because the feeling was mutual. They had made that painfully clear by not even offering him a fricken chair… He followed Sasuke down the isles of books once again and quickly exited the library with no regrets. Their journey back to the parking lot was both quiet and uncomfortable. Naruto internally praised himself for being smart enough to bring his own car.

He didn't think he would be able to stand sitting in the same car with an enraged Uchiha. Sasuke seemed determined to get into his car without having to say anything but Naruto quickened his pace and jogged up in front of him, blocking the car door with his wide frame. "I'm sorry." He said, hoping he sounded sincere. For a minute it seemed as if Sasuke was having an internal battle with himself, deciding whether or not he should respond or just shove the blonde out of the way. Eventually Sasuke gave in to Naruto's pleading look and mumbled down at his feet. "For what?" Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I was hoping you would tell me."

"I already told you, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Really? So you just thought it would be fun to treat me like shit?" It was hard for Naruto to keep the frustration out of his voice. Sasuke could clearly see he had upset his friend, but he was so disturbed by his own thoughts that he just didn't know what he could do to make it up to his roommate. Hurting Naruto had never been his intention, but it was like he was suffering from a bad case of word vomit today. He just couldn't help himself. "So what if I did?" And it was happening again… "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe I could be getting a little tired of you? If you haven't noticed already, people like you can get real tiring _real_ fast." Naruto took a step back like Sasuke and slapped him. "People like me? What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh you know, loud, obnoxious, self absorbed, annoying. The list goes on. Believe me." Naruto hadn't been expecting this kind of attack at all, especially from his peace keeper roommate. He didn't really know how he was supposed to respond to this. "Just hold on a minute Sasuke. Where the hell is this coming from? I thought we were friends now!"

"W-well, maybe that's the problem!" The Uchiha snapped back. "Maybe you're more trouble than you're worth." Sasuke couldn't physically allow himself to stand there long enough to see Naruto's reaction and quickly pushed past him and hopped into the driver's seat of his car. He pulled out of the parking lot and caught a glimpse of Naruto's reaction in his rear view mirror. Kicking a puppy would have been easier than looking at that face...

'_What the hell is wrong with me?!' _

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**Laura: So Sasuke's having a really hard time right now huh... I wonder what has him so upset... Perhaps we'll find out in the next chapter? All we can do it wait and see... MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay guys thanks so much for reading! Review and all that shit. I guess I'll see you next Thursday, which just so happens to be Christmas day. Until then my lovelies!**

**(SPOILER ALERT, SORTA, KINDA, NOT REALLY.) **

**Itachi is going to make his first appearance in the next chapter! :D**


	13. Trying Not To Love You

**Laura: Oh boy, I'm taking a risk with this chapter... This time around I decided to do something a little different with my writing style. This chapter is all dialogue, no extra stuff whatsoever. I wanted this chapter to focus mainly on the conversation anyway, and this was the best way I could think of to accomplish this. I did my best to make everything as clear as possible so hopefully you'll be able to understand who is talking. (Fingers crossed!) If not you can always PM me and I can explain it to you. Always happy to help! Anyway guys lets test this out, shall we?**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

**{Title inspired from "Trying Not To Love You" by Nickelback. Such a cute song!}**

* * *

"Thanks for meeting up with me on such short notice, Itachi."

"I have to admit. I would rather our visits consist of more than a 15 minute conversation in a crappy diner, but I'll take what I can get. I know you're busy. So, what's the problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"You sounded upset on the phone."

"Did I?"

"Is it Naruto again?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You've been talking about him a lot lately. I just assumed."

"But that's not really true, right? Please tell me that's not true."

"What's not true?"

"That I talk about him a lot. That's just your imagination, isn't it?"

"I don't think so."

"Shit…"

"Alright, so clearly I hit the nail on the head. This _is_ about Naruto, isn't it?"

"Apparently it's always about Naruto. Whether it's at home or at school or out with my brother it's all about Naruto!"

"And that's a problem because…?"

"Because- because he's like a disease. I can't get away from that stupid, perky grin of his. I've done more exciting things with him in these last few months then I have in my entire life. What is that?!"

"Um... friendship?"

"I never wanted his friendship! I never wanted a roommate! I never wanted any of this! I never wanted to feel-"

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Your face is all red."

"It's hot in here."

"You said you never wanted to feel. Feel what exactly?"

"Hi there! My name's Rin and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Ah, perfect timing. I'll have a hot chocolate please. No whipped cream."

"Excellent! And for you sir?"

"Just a glass of water for me."

"Alrighty, I'll be right back to take your order."

"You're not getting off that easily Sasuke."

"Itachi I'm telling you I'm fine. I'm fine, Naruto's fine. We're both fine!"

"Then why is your voice getting so high?"

"It's not!"

"Sasuke you know I won't stop nagging you until you tell me what's going on with you. It's my job. So why don't you just do us both a favour and get it over with?"

"…"

"Is it really that bad?"

"I- I don't know. I don't know if it's bad. All I know is I feel like I'm losing my mind and I can't…"

"Can't what?"

"I can't say it out loud because if I say it then I'll have no choice but to think about it. And if I start thinking about it I'm afraid of what might happen..."

"You're not dying are you?"

"What? No! It's nothing like that."

"Well?"

"Well… Well- okay, let's say there's this guy. And this guy has never really cared about you know… relationships and stuff. He never wanted to be with someone in _that_ way before. Holding hands, kissing, having sex… it never really interested him… But recently he's found himself having mixed feelings about… _someone_."

"I see… and what does this _guy_ think these mixed feelings mean?"

"He thinks it's stupid."

"Stupid?"

"Yeah, I mean the person he may or may not be interested in is already in a committed relationship. He get's a front row seat to their disgusting PDA and at the end of the day he's always going to be the third wheel. It shouldn't but him so much but it does. It's maddening!"

"So why doesn't this guy just be honest about his feelings and tell the other person?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"Explain."

"This guy… he- he always thought he was brought up a certain way, you know? That certain things were expected of him, that he was supposed to be a certain way. But now he's feeling all of these strange things out of the blue and he's starting to question everything about who he is. He feels… I don't know. Just confused I guess…"

"Interesting."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"If you would like me to continue this little game of yours I'll play along. I think before this _guy_ can admit he likes this person, he first needs to accept who he is and realize that there's nothing wrong with being yourself."

"…You really mean that…?"

"Love is love."

"Whoa whoa whoa, just hold on a minute! Who said anything about love?! I don't love N-"

"…"

"You did that on purpose..."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"Are you kidding me? Did you not hear anything I just said? I'm starting to think that I might be _gay_, Itachi!"

"Yeah, I got that."

"And what's worse is I might be gay for that- that- that-"

"Naruto."

"Yeah… That Naruto…"

"It's not uncommon for people to become attached to the ones they spend the most time with."

"Are you actually _encouraging_ me? Why are you acting so calm?"

"Should I not be?"

"So you're really okay with your little brother swinging for the other team?"

"Would it offend you if I said I had my suspicions?"

"Extremely so."

"Sasuke you're my little brother and I love you. I don't care which team you're swinging for or pitching for or whatever the term is. As long as you're happy that's all that matters. You don't need my approval, but I want you to know that I'll always support you no matter what."

"Well, thank you… I appreciate that… I guess I had to find out sooner or later. But even if I did have this big break through it doesn't matter. The person I… He's taken, okay? And even if he wasn't I doubt he'd even spare me a second glance. All I can do is just try and be a good friend to him."

"Your lack of confidence is concerning, but why are you making that sour face?"

"Because I already failed miserably."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday we got into a fight. Well- _I_ got into a fight. Naruto just kind of stood there and took it."

"What happened?"

"You know how I told you that Naruto and Sakura are always sucking face? Well we went to an amusement park a few days ago- don't even start with me- and I had to go through the whole day watching the two of them snuggle up to each other and laugh and whisper about things like they were already a married couple or something. I know it wasn't like that, but it seriously felt like they were just trying to rub it in my face."

"So you got jealous."

"And I took my anger out on Naruto because of it…"

"Sasuke that's-"

"I know, you don't need to lecture me. It was a dick thing to do and Naruto didn't deserve it. It's not his fault he's in a happy, healthy relationship. I had no right to get mad at him. I'm just an asshole."

"No you're not. You were just hurt and confused. You didn't know what you were feeling and so you lashed out. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

"You didn't see the look on his face, Itachi. He looked like I had just poured all of his ramen down the toilet and flushed it right in front of him."

"Ramen…?

"Never mind… My point is I really screwed up. This stupid thing just wouldn't shut up!"

"Your… mouth?"

"Exactly! All these things just kept spilling out and I couldn't control it. I know it's a piss poor excuse, but it's the truth. He probably thinks I hate him now..."

"You're really upset over this whole situation, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. I'm upset about a lot of things. I'm upset that I'm only now discovering at 21 that I'm gay. I'm upset that the guy I apparently have feelings for is possibly in love with another person. But worst of all I'm upset that this guy is _Naruto_."

"And why is that so upsetting?"

"Because he's… perfect? I guess… I mean he talks a lot but I wouldn't really call that a fault. He's just a naturally charismatic guy. He's kind and funny and unpredictable. He followed all of my rules without a single complaint and even got me to try a bunch of different things that normally I would never even consider doing. He introduced me to his friends and made me a part of his social group. He even tried to make me dinner and ended up seriously burning himself just so I wouldn't be mad at him anymore. He can be a little clueless at times, but that never seems to hold him back. We're so completely different. Whenever he's around I feel like I'm looking at an alien. It's weird and scary, but at the same time I can't help but be fascinated by him… Is that weird?"

"Love does weird things to us."

"There you go again with the love! Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because it sounds like you might like him more than you originally thought."

"Wh- what makes you say that…?"

"I don't think I've ever seen you take such an interest in another person before. Plus, you've been blushing the entire time you've been talking about him."

"I told you it's hot in here! Where is that damn waitress?!"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Getting mad about your own feelings. If you want things to change between the two of you then you need to tell Naruto that you care about him."

"I already told you I can't. If I told him then things would get awkward and we'd never be able to go back to being friends. What if he freaked out so much that he decided to move? I- I don't think I want that. Not anymore..."

"Then show him. Show him that you care about him. Show him that the two of you could be more than _just_ friends."

"That sounds all fine and dandy, but you're forgetting one very important detail."

"What?"

"Naruto's straight. He's dating a girl. He likes _girls_."

"You thought you liked girls and yet, here we are."

"So what, you're saying I should try to convert him or something?"

"Absolutely not. You can't force him into something like that. All you can do is be there for him. And you can start by apologizing for whatever it is that you said to him."

"What if he's mad at me?"

"Then you better make it as sincere as possible."

"Why do I feel like you're enjoying this?"

"I'm just glad you're finally taking an interest in something other than school. I'm proud of you for coming out of your shell."

"You're proud of me for admitting I'm gay? That's weird."

"Perhaps, but it is the truth. I just hope things turn out in your favour. But even if it doesn't work out they way you want it to it won't be the end of the world. Remember that."

"Yeah, I guess… Well Naruto seems interested in meeting you."

"Is that so?"

"Maybe one day we could all get together. Go out for coffee or something."

"That's a good idea. I'd really like to meet the man that has brought about this new Sasuke."

"By new you mean gay?"

"No. I mean passionate."

"Passion- what?! What are you talking about? What does that even _mean_?!"

"Hmm… Where is that waitress?"

* * *

**Laura: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Did you hear that?! Did you hear that! Sasuke likes Naruto! Halle-fucking-lujah! He finally figured it out! ****Isn't Itachi such a kind and caring older brother? God I'd love to suck his face... Don't look at me like that. I know I'm not the only one thinking it. So yeah guys, what did you think about this new style? This was just an experiment so if you hated it please let me know (politely) and you'll never have to see it again! But if you liked it maybe I'll do another? Either way is cool with me ^_^ Anyway buds this note is getting pretty long so I just quickly want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and thank you all for being so kind and supportive of this story. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! *Internet hugs all around* See you in the new year!**


	14. Cause You Had A Bad Day

**Laura: Back for another chapter are we? Awesome! ****If you haven't**** been living under a rock I'm going to assume that you all know this title was inspired by the song "Bad Day" By Daniel Powter. Everyone should listen to this song at least ONCE in their life. Just saying. ONWARD!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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I'd like to believe that if you're close enough to someone you can tell when they're acting strange. Whether it's because they're sick or because something is bothering them emotionally, if you spend enough time with someone you should be able to tell there's something wrong with them. Especially if these people are your family members or close friends. That sounds reasonable, correct? Well… I suppose it would be, unless you're Kiba of course. Kiba had never been good at reading people.

Sure he was a nice guy, (most of the time) and he had a talent for making people it was physical comedy, his potty mouth, or Kiba just being Kiba, people usually had a good time around him. He considered himself a decent person, but there were some people who would debate on whether or not he was a very good friend_. _These people were mostly just jealous but still, it's worth mentioning. What are some of the features that make up a strong and healthy relationship?

Loyalty is very important. Kiba had always been fiercely loyal. Whether or not you thought of him as annoying or immature, you could always count on him to have your back, even if you were wrong. Mutual respect is another biggie. Kiba pulled his friends legs almost everyday, but that's just how he was. It didn't mean he didn't respect them. He just liked keeping people on their toes. And then there was compassion. Unfortunately this is where Kiba lacked in his friendship skills.

There's a certain amount of responsibility when committing to any kind of relationship. A big part of compassion was trying to comfort whoever it was that was suffering. It's not that Kiba didn't want to help his friends, it's just he never knew what to say in order to do so, that is if he even noticed in the first place. Ever since he was a kid he had been clueless about these situations. He hated getting all mushy about stuff and talking about people's feelings. Growing up with only a Mother and an older sister in the house, Kiba was constantly fighting for his masculinity.

He worked hard to become a man and he had no intention of letting that get away from him. The point is if you were expecting a sympathy hug it wouldn't be coming from this guy. You'd get nothing but the cold, hard truth from Kiba Inuzuka, which could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. But just because he doesn't like this kind of stuff doesn't mean he can always avoid it. Kiba had invited Naruto out to the bowling ally for the afternoon knowing full well that he would get his ass kicked, but to his surprise Naruto had lost. No, he hadn't just lost. Kiba had _destroyed_ him.

That was the first red flag that something was off with his competitive best friend, but the brunette thought nothing more of it than being a fluke. The second warning had been when Sakura had called Naruto's cell and the blonde completely ignored her call. Kiba had thought that Naruto was helplessly smitten with the pinkette, but then again, what did he know? Perhaps a more observant person would have been able to tell that whatever was wrong with Naruto wasn't going to be fixed with a booty call...

Eventually Naruto had suggested that they just head back to the dorms in this stupid depressed tone that had made Kiba raise an eye brow in question. Apparently he had done a shitty job at providing a good time for the blonde. He tried to rationalize it as Naruto just being soar about losing in their bowling match. Kiba had asked why in the hell he would want to go back to the dorm instead of to his own quiet apartment, but Naruto had insisted relentlessly. Red flag number three.

And now here they were, cooped up in a stinky dorm room with very few seating arrangements, a pissy roommate who could be coming back at any moment, and a serious lack of alcohol. Naruto sighed loudly as he collapsed down onto Kiba's single sized bed and kicked off his shoes carelessly to the side. Kiba rolled his eyes as he pulled a rolling chair away from his desk and took a seat facing his sombre friend. "Kiba, am I a bother?" Naruto found himself asking absentmindedly as he stared up at the bleak, cream colour of the ceiling.

"Huh?" Kiba hadn't really been paying attention. He was too busy wondering if he could snatch a bottle of vodka from one of his fraternity brothers. He'd pay them back. Eventually. "Is it possible that I'm not as awesome as everyone thinks I am?" This time Naruto had grabbed his attention. "What?" Naruto had barley said five words to him throughout the entire day and a question like that was the last thing he expected to come out of the blonde's mouth. Clearly whatever was bothering him was taking a serious toll on his mental stability.

Too bad Kiba was still completely clueless… "Who ever said you were awesome?" He decided to respond with a usual snarky retort. "I'm serious Kiba." Naruto sluggishly climbed up into a sitting position to look his friend in the eye. His expression _was_ serious. Kiba put two and two together and very slowly he began to realize what was about to happen. He had seen that look before. It was definitely happening, whether he wanted to be a part of it or not, a feelings jam was about to take place. "Am I just a giant pain in the ass?"

"I really don't think I'm the one you should be asking this."

"Just answer the question." Naruto huffed as his eyes drooped down to the floor. "Uh, I guess not? Where is this coming from anyway?"

"Sasuke and I got into a fight." Kiba had to fight back a smirk as his friend mumbled the Uchiha's name. He should've figured it had something to do with Sasuke. That little bastard definitely knew how to cause trouble. What's worse is most of the time he probably didn't even know he was doing it. Kiba assumed he was an evil genius in his spare time. "Sasuke told me that I'm more trouble than I'm worth." Naruto continued dejectedly. "Ouch."

"Yeah, and that was only _after_ he told me that I'm loud, obnoxious, self absorbed and, oh yeah, annoying."

"Huh, sounds like he really went off on you. You want Kool-Aid or a juice box or something?"

"The fuck?"

"Shit I don't know man. I told you we got nothing good in here. Just go apologize so we can go back to your place for some booze."

"Sasuke doesn't keep any alcohol in the house. You have to bring your own." Kiba clicked his tongue in disgust as he climbed out of his chair and headed over to the mini fridge that his roommate had banned him from opening while he was out of the room. "I don't know how you put up with it dude." Kiba spoke as he raided through the fridge. "A guy like that, someone with a stick up their ass the size of the Empire State building, he'd drive me fucking nuts. You must have the patience of a saint."

"He's not that bad." Kiba couldn't stop the amused snort from escaping his nose. "Come on dude. I saw that rule book. The dude's insane."

"I thought you liked him."

"Like's a strong word. I just think he can be amusing. But other than that he's kind of a loser. Wouldn't you agree?" Kiba turned back around just in time to see Naruto shrug his shoulders. He looked even more miserable than he did before. "Not really. I just think he has a hard time connecting with people the way you and I do." Kiba's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you even defending him?"

"If I don't, then who will?"

"No one. Because he has no friends. Because he's a _loner_." Naruto opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but then appeared to change his mind half way through. "Wow... Hearing someone else say that out loud makes me realize just how shitty it was to say in the first place…"

"What are you yammering on about?" Kiba barked. Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing. Just lay off him, alright? He was my friend- uh, _is_, I mean… Shit I don't know. Just stop being a dick okay? He doesn't deserve it." Before anything more could be said Naruto's phone beeped from inside his coat pocket. He fished around inside for a second or two before pulling the device out into the open. "I don't know man." Kiba sighed as Naruto opened up the message. He didn't recognize the number which only added more fuel to his sour mood.

"I think he's got you brain washed or something. The old Naruto never would have put up with this guy's shit." Naruto let out a frustrated sigh as he realized that it was a picture that had been sent, not a text message. "Yeah, well, maybe the old Naruto was too quick to judge." He groaned thinking it was probably just another accidental nude getting sent to the wrong person before hesitantly looking down at the photo. Naruto's bad mood quickly became worse. _Much_ worse.

Oh the sweet irony.

Naruto abruptly stood up and began putting on his shoes. His movement were hurried and shaky as he tied his laces. "You were right. This sucks. Let's get out of here." He was already at the door before Kiba could even think about grabbing his shoes. "Huh? Where are we going?"

"The liquor store."

"Fuck yeah! Why didn't you say so? Let's go!"

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**Laura: Will Naruto and Sasuke make up and repair their friendship? Will we get to find out what was in that picture that made Naruto so upset? WILL KIBA EVER ADMIT TO HAVING A DRINKING PROBLEM?! All these questions shall be answered soon! (Except the last one.) Thanks so much for reading guys. I hope you all had a great New Years and I hope that your hangovers aren't too painful :P See ya next time!**


	15. Every Rose Has Its Thorn

**Laura: Omg we're actually at chapter 15. I have to admit. I didn't think this story was going to last this long hahah. Mini series are supposed to be... well- mini. OH WELL. As long as you guys are enjoying it I'll keep writing! We've still got a little ways to go before the end so if you're up for the challenge then why not stick around till then? Let's finish this together friends!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Itachi's words had really made an impression on his younger brother. Sasuke had been doing his best to avoid being alone with Naruto, or even be in the same room as him after their little blow out. But his brother's advice had changed his usually unmoving resolve.

_Show him that you care about him. Show him that the two of you could be more than __just__ friends._

Pretty words, but it was easier said than done. What did that even really mean? Itachi couldn't possibly expect Sasuke to _flirt_ with his roommate. Sasuke was barely comfortable with physical contact of any kind with a female. How was he supposed to successfully flirt with another male? And even if he did give it a try, what exactly would the protocol be? Sasuke could recall countless romance movies where girls would "get their flirt on" by either twirling their long, lushes hair around their finger or laughing a little too hard at their targets stupid jokes.

Sasuke's bangs could have been long enough to twirl, but doing so wasn't even an option. He knew he had fallen pretty far since he had met the blonde, but he still had _some_ pride left. As for the laughing part, well… Sasuke always thought the girls looked stupid when they did it anyway. It was so obviously forced. And just because their soon to be boyfriend didn't say anything about it doesn't mean he didn't notice it was all fake. He supposed it wouldn't _kill_ him to try having a little more physical contact than he was used to.

Surely Naruto wouldn't suspect anything if he were to casually rest the side of his body up against his while they watched TV on the couch. Maybe he could even sneak in a hug if the time was appropriate. Was that trying too hard? Sasuke sighed as he pulled his keys out of the ignition and rested his forehead against the cool leather of the steering wheel. _'Ugh… My head hurts.' _He thought with a groan_. _Recently things had really become complicated in the poor Uchiha's life. He never expected to be pinning over another person like this. It just wasn't in his nature.

He wasn't a clingy person and now all of a sudden he found himself craving another's company. He almost wished that Itachi hadn't pointed out his true feelings for the blonde. Sure he'd still be confused about why he was so jealous of Sakura, but at least then he wouldn't have to constantly be on edge when Naruto was involved. Sasuke was coming home much later than he usually would on a school night. He was trying to avoid the inevitable awkwardness of being in the same room as Naruto, but at the same time he knew he couldn't wait any longer to see him.

Sasuke's own personal feelings aren't what's important right now. All that mattered to him was apologizing to his roommate and hoping he would be forgiven. Naruto didn't really seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge, right? Maybe he was already over it. But if that were true… wouldn't he have tried to contact him? _'Shit. Maybe he really is mad at me.' _Sasuke could feel the weight on his chest intensify as he dragged himself out of his car and begrudgingly walked to the front door of their apartment.

When did he even start thinking of it as _their _apartment? "What a mess…" Sasuke found himself mumbling as he put his key in the lock and opened the door. He only took a step or two inside before his nostrils were filled with a disgusting, toxic odour. Sasuke could only the describe the smell as being the inside of a sleazy bar filled with sweaty, drunken idiots trying too hard to convince themselves they weren't drunk. Sasuke heard laughter and turned his attention into the living room, frowning at the scene in front of him.

Naruto had beaten him home and it seemed as if he had invited a few of his buddies along with him. He recognized Kiba and Gaara, but he couldn't say he knew who the third was. The four men were sprawled all over the living room. Kiba and Gaara were sitting on the floor, mystery man was laying flat on the couch, and Naruto had made himself comfortable in Sasuke's _off limits_ reclining chair. As the Uchiha's eyes traveled down to the coffee table, he realized that the god awful smell had been alcohol. A decent pile of rum and vodka bottles were stacked on the coffee table.

Some even rolling across the floor and leaking its remaining content onto the clean carpet. Sasuke stood there in silence as the door slammed shut behind him. This appeared to grab at least one of their attention. Kiba's head snapped up making Sasuke feel as if he was a deer caught in the headlights. "Mr Clean!" The brunette sang the jingle from the commercials with a wild wave of his hand. All eyes were immediately on Sasuke as Naruto whipped his head around to see his stunned roommate's face. "Hey! You're back! 's bout time! I was starting to miss ya!"

"What's going on here…?" Sasuke asked as he hesitantly took off his coat and hung it up on the rack. "I don't know." Kiba mocked in a stupid cocky tone as Naruto climbed to his feet. "You tell me." Gaara and mystery man began laughing wildly as Kiba looked proud as all hell, like he had just won the lottery or something. Clearly they were all hammered. "I thought we had an understanding." Sasuke said, once again turning his attention to the blonde who was now standing in front of him grinning. "You promised me that you wouldn't bring your friends over here to get drunk. We had a deal."

"Fuck our deal." Naruto said and then shrugged as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Ay! And fuck yo couch!" Mystery man chided. "Yeah! Fuck. Yo. Couch." Kiba agreed loudly which was then followed by another fit of hysterical laughter. Sasuke didn't know what to think. Naruto had broken yet _another_ one of his big rules and he was showing absolutely no remorse in doing so. Sasuke knew that Naruto liked to party and have fun, but he had thought that the blonde had more respect for him than this.

Something wasn't right.

"Um… Naruto?" Sasuke gently grabbed the blonde's arm and pulled him off to the side. He stumbled despite only taking a few steps which only made the other men laugh harder. "Is everything okay?" Sasuke whispered hoping to keep the conversation private. Naruto had other ideas and practically screamed back his response directly in Sasuke's face. "Everything is just peachy, Sasuke! Hey, why do we call it peachy? I mean it's supposed to mean good, right? Peaches are fat and fuzzy. I don't think that's very good at all! Calling everything fat and fuzzy… It sounds kinda mean, am I right?"

Sasuke stared into Naruto's dilated pupils for a moment trying to decipher exactly just how drunk he really was. Naruto leaned down close enough for Sasuke to smell his horrible alcoholic breath. "Am I rite?" He repeated with a dorky grin. Sasuke had no intention of responding when suddenly Naruto jumped and shouted as if he had remembered something important. "Oh! You wanna see something _really_ fat and fuzzy?"

"Show him the picture!" Mystery man shouted, making Naruto turn back and glare at him. "That's what I'm doing asshole! Shut up! Neji- Neji wants me to show you the picture." He slurred as he turned back to face Sasuke once again. "What… picture?"

"Do you watch porn?" The complete 180 on the conversation caught Sasuke off guard and he floundered for a minute not knowing how to respond. Luckily Naruto responded for him. Literally. "_Yes, yes I do Naruto_. Well good. Then you're gonna love this. Looky look." Naruto held up his cell phone and waved it from side to side making it impossible for Sasuke to see the actual picture. He decided to take a chance and snatched the phone out of the blonde's hand. Naruto's eye's widened. "Holy shit how'd you do that?" He asked amazed. Sasuke rolled his eyes before looking down at the screen.

Ah… Now it all made sense.

The angle of the photo was slanted and cut off half way by what appeared to be a wall, but Sasuke could clearly make out the shape of two bodies tangled in each other's arms leaning up against a row of lockers. Clothes were missing and it was pretty obvious that some "extra curricular activities" were about to take place. As soon as Sasuke's eyes caught that flair of pink hair he didn't even have to ask who the girl was.

"Naruto…" Sasuke looked up with sympathetic eyes but all Naruto did was grab the phone back, much less gracefully than Sasuke had, and began pointing at the screen. "Not Sakura though. She's not fat and fuzzy. That's why I liked her so much. But this guy… this guy looks a little fat and fuzzy. He over there-" Naruto pointed over his shoulder. "Gaara says we should call him a douche peach. You know cause he's-"

"Fat and fuzzy, yeah I got it." Sasuke quickly cut him off before he could begin mumbling some more nonsense. "Do you know who he is?"

"He's on that sports team- with the balls." The man Sasuke now knew to be Neji provided the information. "I told you already he's a peach! A big ol fuzzy peach! What's so great about peaches anyway? I'm like an orange. Everyone's supposed to like oranges. You don't just throw away an orange for a peach! Hey, what about you?" Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulders and pulled him roughly to his side. "In the great battle of the fruits, who would win? A peach or an orange?"

"Apple!"

"That wasn't an option shit head! It's peach or orange! Turn on your hearing aid!" The three men began laughing again as Naruto grinned back at his roommate. "Well? Who'd you pick Sasssssssssssssssuke?" This had definitely gone on long enough. Sasuke took a few seconds to strengthen his resolve before cautiously opening his mouth. His voice was soft but also stern. "Listen to me Naruto. I know you're hurting, okay? But _this_ isn't going to make you feel any better. So please, let's just say goodbye to your friends and then we can talk about this in the morning when you're _not_ as drunk as a skunk. Does that sound good?"

"I know what you'd do." Naruto seemed to ignore Sasuke completely as he got lost in his own thoughts. "You'd do what everyone's doing. You'll say you're with the oranges but really you'll be going after the peaches. You'll try to make the orange feel all comfortable and shit in your relationship but then you'll just toss him into the juicer and go bang your douche peach instead. Is that what you did, Sasuke? Did you decide to dump your orange and go bang a peach?" Sasuke could feel an overwhelming sense of guilt rush through him as Naruto's drunken words began to sink in.

It seemed to hurt him even more that Naruto had said it all with a smile when clearly he had been hurt over the whole thing. "I'm sorry for what I said the other day… I didn't mean it…" Sasuke knew that the blonde probably wouldn't remember this apology in the morning, but in that moment as he gazed up into those big, blue eyes, he felt as if he had to say it. Naruto's face, if only for a split second, lost that care free undertone and was replaced with something much more innocent as he said- "At least you came back."

"Oi! Blondie! Come ova here. Let's do another shot." And just like that the wall was back up. Naruto made a beeline for the shot glass that was being offered to him but for obvious reasons Sasuke was much quicker on his feet and grabbed the glass before he could get to it. "The party is over. All of you get out now. That's not a request." By some miracle Sasuke managed to wrestle the three idiots out of the front door and send them on their way. "If you all get yourselves killed tonight I will not be held responsible!"

Sasuke shouted after them as Kiba flipped him the bird then immediately began throwing up in a near by bush. As the door closed behind him Sasuke let out a long tiring sigh. He realized that Naruto had been standing in the living room staring at him like he was waiting for Sasuke to make the first move. Naruto swayed a little on his feet and that was all the encouragement Sasuke needed to pushed back his exhaustion and hurry over to his roommate's side. "Come on… Let's get you into bed."

Sasuke coaxed Naruto into putting his arm around his shoulder so he could help support him as they walked. The little bit of progress they had made ended abruptly in the hallway when Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his tracks for no apparent reason. Sasuke looked up at him searching for an explanation when all of a sudden he was roughly pushed back against the wall. Naruto then leaned his forearms against the smooth surface on either side of Sasuke's head. Before he could even understand what was happening to him, Sasuke found himself trapped in between Naruto's large body and the wall.

Naruto's eye's peered down into his face and held Sasuke's shaken gaze steadily. Sasuke could feel every muscle in his body tense up as his temperature began to rise considerably higher than it had been a moment ago. The two of them had never been this close before... It had all happened so fast that Sasuke wasn't even sure if this was real or not. Naruto didn't say a word. He just stared down at him as if he was studying Sasuke's reaction. The blonde eventually moved in closer until their noses were almost touching and stopped. Sasuke's breath hitched in the back of his throat as his eye's immediately traveled to Naruto's lips.

Was he going to…?

"Gonna hurl." Naruto moaned before he pushed off the wall and quickly stumbled his way into the bathroom. The horrible sound of couching and retching that followed confirmed the rough night ahead for the big lug. Sasuke felt as if he had been punched in the stomach and loudly sucked in a gracious amount of air. His legs felt weak and jelly-like. When they finally began to shake, Sasuke allowed his body to sink down onto the floor. He pulled his legs up against his chest tightly and buried his face into his knees. He could hear his heart beating wildly against his rib cage through the sounds of Naruto emptying his stomach. _'What is happening to me...?' _

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**Laura: Now I'm worried that the first time I get drunk I'm going to be spouting off some random crap about oranges and peaches... SO YEAH! I don't really know how to write for intoxicated people but I did my best so cut me some slack. :p Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how clever the title for this chapter is? Rose= Flower. Flower= Blossom. Blossom= Cherry Blossom. Cherry Blossom= Sakura. You see what I did there?! I'M A GENIUS! Hehe okay guys... thanks for reading. See you in the next one. ;} *Smooch* **


	16. People Ain't No Good

**Laura: Geez is it Thursday already? Where did this week go? I finished this a little late but it's done and on time so who cares? XD** **Let's see the after math of Naruto's rough night shall we? Good old protective Sasuke up ahead!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"Naruto…" Sasuke chewed on his bottom lip anxiously as he stared down at a familiar head of blonde hair sticking out from under a pillow. Naruto let out a noise between a gargle and a groan but other than that he showed no signs of life. Sasuke let out a quiet sigh as he set down the cup of water he had been holding on the bedside table along with a small bottle from his own personal stash of Tylenol. He wandered into the bathroom to wash his face and cringed when he saw the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror.

It had been a long night.

After Naruto had apparently finished emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet, Sasuke did his best to pull himself together and help the blonde stumble into his bedroom. Naruto seemed to be enjoying giving Sasuke a hard time and refused to get into his bed. Sasuke had to practically push Naruto down onto the mattress and forcefully pull the covers over him, demanding that he fall asleep before he was sick again. It didn't matter whether Naruto was going to cooperate or not.

A minute later he passed out cold leaving Sasuke alone in the quiet with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. Sasuke had never seen someone as hammered as Naruto had been. He didn't really know how to treat this illness, but what he _did _know was he couldn't just leave him there to suffer. Sasuke stayed awake for as long as his body would physically allow him to, to insure that Naruto didn't choke on his own vomit or lose his footing and fall if he were to get up by himself.

It must have been about 3 am before Sasuke finally went back to his room, only after providing the blonde with a puke bucket just in case he woke up and couldn't make it to the bathroom. As to be expected Sasuke had a hard time falling asleep. He was furious that Naruto would do this to his body but then he would remember why he had done it in the first place and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had a feeling that judging from his reaction, this kind of thing had never happened to him before. He supposed he couldn't blame him for reacting the way he did. Naruto couldn't be with the one he wanted just like...

Well, Sasuke could relate.

He was also surprised by the amount of loathing he felt towards Sakura. After all _she_ had been the one to cause all of this, all of Naruto's pain… Sasuke could never understand why people cheated. I mean honestly, was it really that hard to stay faithful to the person you were with? If you're no longer happy with the person you're with or you find yourself attracted to someone else then just break up with the person you're already with instead of sneaking behind their back and making them feel like an idiot. It's really not that hard!

'_She probably doesn't even know he knows…'_ Sasuke thought as he wiped his face dry with a fresh towel. _'I wonder if she'll come clean and tell him the truth…'_ Sasuke's face scrunched up in disgust as he grabbed his tooth brush and squeezed a small amount of tooth paste onto the brush. _'What the hell am I thinking? Of course she won't. Cheaters never admit to cheating. They're all just dirty rotten liars.' _Before Sasuke realized it he was scrubbing his teeth so hard that his gums began to hurt. "Why would she do this to him?"

The Uchiha growled before spitting into the sink and rinsing his tooth brush. "That- that bitch! She knew how he felt about her and she still-" Before Sasuke could finish his less than friendly thoughts, he heard a low grown emanating from Naruto's bedroom. Sasuke quickly rinsed his mouth out and placed his tooth brush back on its stand before scurrying back into the blonde's bedroom. Naruto's pillow had fallen off his head leaving his sensitive eyes exposed to the tiny sliver of light that had been shinning through the blinds.

Sasuke waited a minute or two to see if Naruto was going to get up on his own. He didn't move his body much but his eyes did open, an indication that he was finally awake. He blinked several times before slowly turning his head towards Sasuke. His eyes looked red and glazed over as he spoke with a disappointed frown. "Shit. I'm still alive." Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief before taking a few steps closer to the bed. At least Naruto hadn't lost his twisted sense of humour. "I'm afraid so." Sasuke's sympathetic smile did little to ease Naruto's current situation. "How are you feeling?"

"Not much. I think my body is numb."

"Do you remember anything from last night?"

"Yeah." Naruto's voice sounded strained and groggy as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "My girlfriend cheated on me." The blonde showed a look of absolute misery as he glared down into his lap, one that Sasuke had never seen before on his face. "I'm sorry…" Sauske sighed. "And I'm pretty sure Kiba made out with your toaster." Naruto ran a shaky hand through his matted blonde hair before looking at Sasuke's face. "Sorry about that by the way."

"It's fine… I never really liked that toaster anyway…" Sasuke cleared his throat as he took another awkward step forward. "And you don't remember anything else from last night…? Nothing… out of the ordinary?" Sasuke wasn't planning on telling Naruto about their little "moment" last night. (could he even call it that?) But if Naruto did remember what he did… or didn't do, then maybe they should talk about it after all. Naruto looked at him with a bizarre expression. "More out of the ordinary then my best friend making out with kitchen appliances? I don't think so."

Sasuke nodded his head silently. He tried to fight the feeling back but he couldn't help but feel a sting of disappointment. He didn't know what he was hoping to get out of Naruto even if he did remember. It's not like it meant anything. He was drunk for god sakes! Drunk people do stupid shit. There was no hidden meaning behind it, not secret agenda. It was just a fluke. Just a stupid, pointless fluke! A fluke that made Sasuke's heart practically jump out of his chest…

Shit… Why did it have to be a fluke?

"Why?" Naruto suddenly looked panicked. "Fuck I didn't do something illegal did I? Kiba told me that I once tried to hotwire a car but the fucker knocked me out before I could make any real progress."

"You know how to hotwire a car?" Sasuke asked skeptically. "Apparently."

"Nothing happened I promise. You were just…" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders not really knowing how else to say it. "Drunk." Naruto let out what Sasuke assumed to be a laugh but it sounded rather pathetic coming from his dry throat. Sasuke grabbed the cup of water he had brought in early and offered it to the blonde. Naruto mumbled a quick "Thanks." before downing the whole glass in 3 large gulps. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sasuke wasn't sure that bringing this up now was a very good idea considering what time it was, but he wanted Naruto to be comfortable around him.

"You can talk to me you know. I'm actually quite a good listener." Naruto looked over at him for a moment seeming to contemplate Sasuke's offer before sighing and once again dropping his head to stare down at his lap. "I'm really stupid." Sasuke's mouth almost immediately opened with the words "It's not your fault." on the tip of his tongue but he quickly shut it once again. He needed to let Naruto get this all off is chest. _Then_ he would butt in.

"I should have known it was too good to be true. I mean Sakura and I never even fought. What couple doesn't fight? Hell I don't even know if we really were a couple to begin with. Sure we did coupley things and had sex but I never even got to take her out on a proper date. Now I'm starting to think that I was the only one in this thing." Naruto collapsed back down into his bed and spread his arms out wide on either side of his body. "I know we weren't dating for very long and it's not like I was in love with her or anything. It's just the betrayal of it all that makes me feel so- _Ugh_." Naruto let out a loud groan and rubbed at his face in frustration. "So pathetic." He finished dejectedly. "Please tell me that you've been through this before and that this feeling will go away."

"I've been through this before." Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're lying."

"Yes, but I've seen countless people go through the exact same thing and I can tell you with confidence that it _will_ get better. This is just one girl. You may feel pathetic now but she's the real loser here, not you. If you ask me it's her loss." When Naruto simply stared up at him Sasuke began to panic thinking that maybe he had crossed some kind of line. But thankfully Naruto just smiled and closed his eyes in a relaxed state. "Yeah, thanks Sasuke."

"Don't mention it."

"No really." Naruto sat up again to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Thank you for putting up with my shit and uh, for taking care of me and all."

"How did you-"

"I'm pretty sure that bottle of Tylenol and puke bucket in the corner of the room didn't just magically appear there." Sasuke bit his tongue making Naruto grin with a cheeky glint in his eye. "You know I never pegged you as the motherly type. But then again I never really thought you'd compliment me either. You're just full of surprises aren't you?" Sasuke's cheeks became warmer on their own accord as Naruto playfully teased him. He cursed himself for being so obvious before quickly pointing to the bottle on the bedside table.

"Take a few of those and you should feel better. I have class in 15 minutes but if you want me to stay…" Sasuke let the invitation float in the air for a moment until Naruto spoke up with a shake of his head. "Nah, I wouldn't want to be the one to tarnish your perfect attendance record." Sasuke blew his bangs out of his face in an exasperated act as Naruto began grinning at him again. "You know I'm not as perfect as you think I am." He said with a frown. "So you don't have a perfect attendance record?" Once again Sasuke bit his tongue.

Naruto chuckled once before pulling himself out of bed and climbing to his shaky feet. Sasuke watched in confusion as Naruto sluggishly made his way over to his dresser and pulled out a fresh T-shirt. "Um where are you going?" Sasuke asked. He couldn't help but compare his tone to that of a scolding mother. "Where do you think?" Naruto responded as he pulled the new shirt over his head. "I need to talk to Sakura." Naruto brushed past Sasuke out of the door leaving Sasuke standing alone for a minute stunned, before quickly walking after him down the hall. "You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"

"What? Like break up with her?" Naruto replied sarcastically over his shoulder as he pulled on his coat and grabbed a pair of sneakers by the front door. "Oh. No- yeah you should do that. You should definitely do that." Naruto paused for minute to look back at Sasuke curiously with his hand now on the door knob. "That was quick. Aren't you supposed to tell me to give her another chance or something?"

"Once a cheater always a cheater." Sasuke responded gravely. "I just think you deserve better."

"Sasuke?" Sasuke's ears perked up at Naruto's change of tone. He sounded… gentler. "Yes?" Naruto smiled at him as he cracked open the door and pulled out of pair of sun glasses from his jacket pocket. "I'm glad we're friends." And with that Naruto slipped outside cursing at the sun for being "so fucking bright." before gently closing the front door behind him. Sasuke felt the strong urge to smack himself in the face once Naruto was out of sight. "_Friends_." Sasuke repeated the word to himself as he returned to his scheduled routine of getting ready for class. "We're friends. We're just really good friends…"

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**Laura: Well it looks like Sakura is finally out of the picture and you all know what the means... TIME FOR THE NARUSASU ROMANCE TO BLOSSOM!** **This is what we've been waiting for people! Are you guys still enjoying the story? Please keep those lovely reviews coming so I know we're still all on the same page. It really means the world to me knowing that I have your support. :) Looking forward to seeing you all in the next chapter! TTFN!**


	17. Beneath the Surface

**Laura: Yola dudes! I just wanted to quickly thank ya'll for all the awesome reviews I received on the last chapter. And to whoever wrote the whole: "MY BODY IS READY." thing- it made me laugh a lot harder than is probably should have. So thanks for that. XD Let's keep going!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"I have never felt so _stupid_!" Naruto came into the apartment through a whirlwind of unpleasant emotions with Sasuke following close behind. "Did you see the look on his face? He thinks I'm an idiot!" The blonde collapsed down face first into the couch as Sasuke calmly closed the front door behind them. "It wasn't that bad." The Uchiha tried to assure him as he hung up his coat and took a seat in his chair. "It was bad." Came Naruto's muffled response through the cushions. "Okay it was bad." Sasuke relented with a sigh. "But it could have been worse."

Naruto mumbled something intelligible into the cushions before flipping around onto his back so Sasuke could understand him properly. A disappointed frown was evident on his face. "All I wanted was to make a good impression on you brother and instead I ended up making a fool of myself." Sasuke was trying to fight back a smile because he knew Naruto was upset over this, but if he was being honest with himself he actually found the whole thing to be pretty damn funny.

Much like Sasuke, Itachi had been caught off guard by Naruto's exuberant personality. It had been amusing for Sasuke to see his usually calm and collected brother be so unprepared. Things may not have gone according to plan but Sasuke was still glad Naruto had met Itachi. There was something special about introducing Naruto to the most important person in his life. It was silly, but Sasuke somehow felt closer to the blonde. He was pleased.

However, Naruto clearly had a different opinion about their little lunch. The blonde began to pout miserably as he looked up at the Uchiha which only made Sasuke want to laugh at his expense. "He hates me now. Doesn't he?" _'Always with the dramatics.'_ Sasuke thought fondly with an absentminded smile as he shook his head. "He doesn't hate you. If anything he thinks you're a good influence on me." Naruto glared. "I went in for a hug when he clearly wanted a hand shake." Sasuke shrugged. "Common mistake."

"I spilled my soda all over his lap."

"Grey was never really his colour anyway."

"He asked me what my future plans were and I responded with "hitting up the clubs"."

"Yeah… that was a little brainless." Naruto threw his hands up in the air sickened by his own stupidity. "And then to top it all off I brilliantly asked him what your parents did. Which was nothing. Because they _died_." Sasuke's laid back attitude about the whole situation faltered for a minute and he cringed as Naruto buried his face deep into his hands, humiliated. "I guess that was my bad, huh?" Sasuke asked with an awkward chuckle. Naruto peeked out at him from between his fingers and frowned. "Sorry about that… your parents I mean... No one deserves to lose their someone like that, especially at such a young age." Sasuke smiled, appreciating Naruto's sympathy. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Naruto asked quietly. He didn't sound accusing, but genuinely curious as to why the Uchiha had kept such a huge thing from him. Sasuke frowned and tilted his head slightly to the side as he spoke. "I don't normally make a habit of talking about my dead parents." Sasuke's voice was also gentle. No traces of animosity to be found. "R-right." Naruto stuttered and averted his gaze. "Sorry…"

A heavy silence filled the apartment for a minute or two as the two men sat in their chairs avoiding each others gaze. Naruto wanted to know more about this tragedy that Sasuke had to go through but he was afraid of upsetting the Uchiha. He knew it wasn't any of his business in the first place but he had always been curious by nature. Now that they were close friends, Naruto wanted Sasuke to be able to talk to him openly about these kinds of things.

Sasuke had made Naruto feel comfortable enough in their relationship to share his thoughts and feelings with him. He just wanted to return the favour. Eventually Naruto gave in to his own selfish desires. He dropped his hands from his face and made sure to speak in a soft tone of voice, hoping that would help ease Sasuke's nerves. "How do you do it?" Sasuke cleared his throat before lifting his gaze from his lap and looking back over at the blonde's face. "Do what?"

"You know…" Naruto shrugged hollowly. "How do you deal with not having them around?" Sasuke stared at Naruto's face for a moment or two as he tried to think up a reasonable answer. He had never really thought about it before… For obvious reasons his parents had always been a soar subject, but he could tell Naruto wasn't prying simply to pry. He was showing concern for his friend. That alone made Sasuke feel a flutter of butterflies in his stomach.

"I have Itachi." He eventually said with an easy smile. "He's all the family I need." Naruto nodded in understanding and then he smiled, wide and toothy. _'Finally.'_ Sasuke thought in relief. "He's just like you you know, only bigger." Sasuke raised his eye brow. "Is that so?"

"Yup. And if that's true then he probably does hate me, at least for now."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you hated me when we first met too." Sasuke snorted and looked away as Naruto grinned at him cheekily. "Going by the logic you and my brother will be best friends by the end of the month."

"Is that what we are?" As soon as the words left his mouth Sasuke caught himself and quickly looked over at Naruto anxiously. "Um… That's not what I… You know what I mean. We- we're friends and-" Naruto just sat there smiling as he enjoyed Sasuke's nervous rambling. The blonde had really grown to love Sasuke's word vomit, only when he was saying nice things of course. There was just something so adorable about the way Sasuke would get all flustered about the tiniest of things.

Sasuke's face was quickly becoming redder by the second and Naruto finally decided to take pity on him. "Sasuke, it's okay. If you say we're best friends then we're best friends." _'Dammit Sasuke!'_ The Uchiha cursed himself in his head as he smiled uneasily at the blonde. _'Why couldn't you just keep your big fat mouth shut?!'_ Sasuke took a minute or two to calm himself down before timidly looking over at Naruto again. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." Naruto said as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Why were you so nervous when meeting Itachi?" Naruto laughed as he abruptly stood up from the couch and headed into the kitchen. "What are you talking about? I wasn't nervous."

"Come on. Even I can tell when you're off your game." Sasuke insisted as he followed him into the kitchen. "Oh. Well- I already told you. I wanted to make a good impression." Naruto opened the fridge and quickly ducked his head inside pretending to look for something to drink. "You were trying pretty hard…"

"I just like impressing people, okay? It's no big deal." Naruto quickly closed the fridge and mumbled something about doing homework before heading into his room, leaving Sasuke puzzled by his strange behaviour. Naruto closed the door behind him and growled at himself for the second time that day for losing his cool. He hadn't expected Sasuke to ask him about that in particular. If he had, he would have come up with an explanation before hand. Instead he was left to make something up on the spot like a bumbling fool.

The truth was Naruto _had_ been nervous. Actually, he had been border line terrified. Naruto had gotten this ridicules idea into his head that if Itachi didn't approve of him he would somehow take Sasuke away from him. After the whole Sakura incident, Naruto had found himself clinging to his friends and family more then usual to fill the void of losing someone close to him. He didn't want to lose another person he cared about.

Of course he couldn't possibly tell Sasuke such an embarrassing and childish fear. What would he think of him? He was supposed to be a man. He wasn't supposed to be bothered by those kinds of things. It was best just to keep this kind of stuff to himself. Besides… they were in a good place right now and Naruto wanted it to stay that way. The last thing he wanted to do was make Sasuke uncomfortable and screw the whole thing up. _Again._

He didn't know when it had happened, but Sasuke had started to become a big part of his life and it wasn't just because they were roommates. It hadn't been easy, but they had bonded in the strangest of circumstances. He felt as if he could talk to Sasuke about things that none of his other friends would even bother to listen to. Naruto had accepted the challenge of becoming Sasuke's friend- excuse me- _best friend_ and it had worked like a charm.

Naruto was happy with the way things were between them. He was definitely happy. But recently… _very recently_ there seemed to be something… missing. Naruto felt as if he had been cheated but it had nothing to do with Sakura actually cheating on him. That night he had gotten drunk, Naruto had been presented with something he couldn't take. Something he knew would be so very wrong to take on so many different levels. It was so close to happening but it didn't. It couldn't.

And it had been haunting him ever since. He tried to convince himself it was a lie, that his body's actions had nothing to do with how he was really feeling. But even after he had sobered up the urge was still there. This unexplained... _want_. He could deny it as much as he wanted, pinning the blame on a broken and lonely heart, but the truth was still there shinning like a red beacon right in his face. Naruto had tried to kiss Sasuke. And he feared it would only be a matter of time before he tried again.

And succeeded.

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**Laura: Looks like Naruto remembered their little "moment" after all. And it kinda sounds like he wanted it to continue... Things are getting interesting! And now just as we begin to crack through the surface of Naruto's feelings for our favourite Uchiha I am going to leave you all hanging. Hahahah! Sorry to say but it's time to take a little break! School has been piling up on me and my mother even scolded me yesterday by saying- and I quote: "School work takes priority over your fanfiction." So yeah hahaha. It shouldn't be longer then two weeks. Look on the bright side! The more time I have to write a chapter the better it will be! Hope you all understand. :P See you next time! *Internet hug***


	18. Battle Stations!

**Laura: Ahhh the break is finally over! Did you all survive without these adorkable idiots for a few weeks? :P I know I personally struggle with not thinking about Naruto and Sasuke for at least a day. (I have a serious problem. This show ruined my life.) But all of that is behind us now and we're getting back into the action! Thanks for being patient guys! Let's go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own potssss.**

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It was another beautiful sunny day when Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Gaara and Ino decided to hang out in the quad, lounging on a patch of soft, green grass. Well, actually, as usual Sasuke hadn't really _decided_ on anything. Naruto asked and he said yes. It was as simple as that. At first Sasuke had felt a little awkward being around Kiba and Gaara again but eventually Gaara had the decency to apologize for his part in the "lets all get drunk in someone else's living room" plan.

Kiba had told him that if he ever needed a place to get hammered that his door would always be open. Sasuke decided to take that as an apology as well. The Uchiha had found a tree to rest up against as the others were sprawled out all around him on the ground. Naruto was currently laying flat on his back with his hands resting comfortably behind his head for a make shift pillow as he gazed up at the sky. Kiba was laying near by while Gaara and Ino sat cross legged next to each other.

"We should come here more often." Naruto said to no one in particular as he let out a content sigh. "I'd rather be at a bar." Kiba grumbled as he draped his arm over his face, protecting his eyes from the blinding sun. "I second that." Gaara agreed with a smirk knowing it would get under the blonde's skin. "Aw come on don't be dicks. Ino, help me out here." Ino pulled out her cell phone from her purse and began texting someone as the blonde peaked over at her expectedly. "Sorry Naruto. I'd rather be shopping."

Naruto let out a troubled grunt before twisting his head around to look at Sasuke. "Wanna help a brother out?" Sasuke smiled apologetically as he shrugged. "Library." Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically before copying Kiba's actions and covering his face with his arm. "Ya'll suck. I've gotta get Shikamaru to give you a lecture on the importance of fresh air." Ino abruptly shoved her phone into her back pocket before staring directly at Naruto's covered face.

"It's true we may not enjoy the outdoors as much as you. But you know who does?" Ino climbed onto her hands and knees and quickly crawled over to Naruto's unmoving body. She dangled her face over top of his upside down and grinned as she playfully poked at his arm. "_Saaaaa_kura." She purred suggestively. Naruto's body visibly tensed up as he slowly slid his arm down to his side revealing an annoyed glare. "You promised you would stop trying to set us up."

"I'm not trying to set you up." Ino replied smoothly as if she had been plotting what to say all along. "I'm just trying to get you to talk to her. You know she feels terrible about how things ended. She just wants you to forgive her."

"I don't want to talk to her." Naruto snapped up at her making Ino frown. "Quit being so stubborn about it. She made a mistake and she's sorry. Can't you just go see her for like 10 minutes?" Naruto paused for a moment and closed his eyes to take a deep calming breath. He counted to three before opening them again and looking up at Ino's upside down face. "I said everything I needed to say when I broke up with her." He said, his voice calm and collected. "I don't want anything to do with her anymore."

By now Gaara and Kiba had both lost interest in the current argument and were both lost in their own thoughts, but Sasuke couldn't help but listen in. He knew he had no say in the matter but he hoped that Naruto would continue to refuse Ino's attempts at getting them back together. According to Naruto, Ino had been pestering him about Sakura since the minute they had broken up. This made it three times alone since they've been sitting here.

It wasn't surprising that Ino would try and defend Sakura's actions considering they were best friends, but every time she would bring it up Naruto would get upset and the mood would instantly turn sour. A big part of Sasuke just wanted to tell her to shut the hell up and stop trying to ruin his chances with the blonde, but another part of him, a much smaller, selfless part wondered if maybe Naruto would be happier with Sakura back in his life. Or even someone new for that matter.

This whole situation had left Sasuke so frustrated that he had absolutely no clue what to do with himself anymore. Should he tell Naruto how he feels? Should he wait and see if he feels the same before confessing? Should he encourage Naruto to just move on and find someone else? Should he just ignore his feelings for the blonde from now on? No. Sasuke couldn't possibly do that. He was in too deep as it is. Pretending he only saw Naruto as a friend might just do him in all together.

All this worrying had left Sasuke with a depressing frown and an annoying head ache. As Ino continued to insistently badger Naruto about Sakura, Sasuke quietly slipped away from the group and decided to grab a drink from a near by soda machine. He tried to convince himself that it was just because he was thirsty, but in reality he couldn't stand to here Ino go on and on about the one person who could potentially steal Naruto away from him. _'Not that I ever had him in the first place.'_

Sasuke smiled bitterly as he dropped a dollar into the machine and pushed the button to pick his beverage. _'This is all because I couldn't say no to one stranger.' _Sasuke scolded himself as he bent down to pick up the can of sprit._ 'Everything that happens from this point on is entirely my fault.'_ The Uchiha let out a loud sigh before pulling back the tab and lifting the can to his lips. Before he could take a drink however a pair of hands seemingly came out of no where and snatched the can out of his grip.

"I guess this is a start-" Suigetsu said as he took an obnoxiously loud sip of Sasuke's drink, making Sasuke glare up at his smirking face. "-but it's gonna take more than a soda to make up for all the shit you put me through." Sasuke couldn't believe his shitty luck. Ever since their blow out Sasuke had been able to successfully avoid Suigetsu while on campus. His college was a big place so it was easy to miss people that you didn't want to see. But apparently his avoidance skills had run out of luck because here he was.

The one person possibly in the whole world who made Sasuke literally want to throw a hissy fit right there on the grass was towering in front of him with a look that showed no indication of leaving without giving him a hard time first. Sasuke tried to steel his emotions and not let his anger get the best of him as he spoke in what he hoped was a calm but anything but friendly tone. "What do you want?" Despite Sasuke's best efforts to conceal his hate he couldn't help but notice the way he had practically hissed up at the older man.

Usually Sasuke wouldn't even indulge in having a conversation with someone who had wronged him, but he had a strong suspicion that Suigetsu wasn't going to leave him alone until he said whatever it was that he needed to say. "Well I definitely didn't want to see your ugly mug today. That's for sure." Suigetsu sneered as he took another swig of Sasuke's drink, as if somehow that would add insult to injury. "Then why bother coming to talk to me?" Sasuke seethed up at him.

All of his emotional torment must have been beginning to take its toll on the poor Uchiha because he was finding it increasingly hard to keep his cool. Sasuke had always been good at controlling his emotions. He had never really felt an intense rage before that most people seemed to experience at least once in their lives. Even after his parents had died he had never gone through that I-hate-everyone-and-everyone-hates-me phase like Itachi had. But now he felt furious. He didn't even really know what he was so angry at anymore.

All he knew was that he didn't want to deal with this shit head right now. Or ever again to be honest.

Almost as if Suigetsu could read Sasuke's mind he began to chuckle seeing how much he had gotten under the Uchiha's skin by simply approaching him. He wondered how far he could push him before he cracked. "I'm sorry, could you say that again? For a second there it almost sounded like you were… _angry_ with me." Suigetsu mocked with that stupid cocky grin of his. "But that couldn't possibly be the case right? Because that would imply that you actually had feelings. Which we both know is impossible for a heartless prick like you."

_'He's just trying to get a rise out of you.'_ Sasuke reminded himself calmly as Suigetsu downed the rest of his stolen soda. _'Don't let him get to you.' _Always known for taking the high road, Sasuke decided he just wasn't worth it and turned on his heels planning to march back over to his group with his head held high. But before he could even take a single step Suigetsu reached out and roughly grabbed his arm. Suigetsu's cocky attitude towards the whole situation faltered for a moment and was replaced with a chilling glare.

"Did I say you could leave? I'm not done with you yet." He snarled down at the shell shocked Uchiha. Sasuke hadn't even considered the possibility of this altercation turning physical but now he was beginning to fear just how far Suigetsu was willing to take this. Sasuke wasn't a fighter and he doubted he could leave a dent on the taller man even if he tried his hardest. '_Why did I have to get up?'_ Sasuke thought miserably as he once again began blaming himself for situations he really had no control over.

Thankfully Suigetsu let go of his arm once he was sure Sasuke wasn't going to try and escape again giving Sasuke a small sense of comfort. "I hear you've got a new roommate." Suigetsu said as he dropped the can onto the ground and crushed it down with his foot. Suigetsu couldn't hide the smirk on his face as Sasuke cringed from the loud crunch of metal. "Poor bastard. Has he realized you're a psychotic sociopath yet?"

"If you hate me so much then why the hell bother talking to me?!" Sasuke was quickly losing his self control and it pissed him off even more knowing that was exactly what Suigetsu wanted to happen. "I feel for him, really I do." Suigetsu continued seeming to ignore Sasuke's comment completely. "A day with you is like a day in Hell with Satan. From what I heard you were his last hope. He must he absolutely miserable huh?"

"Actually he's pretty happy." Surprised by the third voice, Sasuke and Suigetsu both spun around only to come face to face with a smiling Naruto. To anyone else Naruto would appear to be fine, but Sasuke could tell immediately that his smile was forced. "Suigetsu I take it?" Naruto directed the question at Sasuke still with that eerily calm smile. Sasuke nodded timidly suddenly getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "And you must be the unlucky bastard." Suigetsu chided as he stuck out his hand to shake Naruto's.

Naruto stared down at the appendage for several seconds as if it was some kind of foreign object before carefully lifting his own hand. Instead of shaking it like Suigetsu had been expecting Naruto slapped his hand away, rejecting whatever sort of kindness Suigetsu was trying to offer. "I'm actually pretty damn lucky to have a friend like Sasuke. And if you actually took the time to get to know him instead of knocking him down you would have known that for yourself." There was no longer any subtlety in Naruto's loathing blue eyes for the man in front of him.

Sasuke began to wonder just how much of the conversation the blonde had heard. Surely that one comment couldn't have made him as mad as it did. But on the other hand Sasuke knew that Naruto was a very loyal person, especially when it came to his friends. Could Naruto merely be… standing up for him? For some reason the thought confused the Uchiha. Suigetsu and Naruto seemed to engage in some sort of glare off soon after Naruto's comment leaving Sasuke to stand in the middle of them in awkward silence.

After some time Naruto had apparently won the staring contest because Suigetsu finally broke eye contact and scratched at the back of his head. A look of discontent was still evident on his face but his voice wasn't as sure as it had been before. "Whatever man. He's your problem now anyway." Suigetsu turned and began walking off in the other direction leaving Naruto to glare at the back of his head as if somehow that could cause him to spontaneously combust into flames. Eventually Naruto looked back down at Sasuke and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke replied a little too aware of how Naruto's hand came up to rest on his shoulder as a sign of concern. "You know you don't deserve that right?" Naruto said with a sadness in his eyes that caught Sasuke by surprise. "You're a million times better than a jerk like him. Don't let him get to you alright?" Naruto suddenly began to smile. This time around Sasuke could tell it was sincere. "You're not as bad as everyone says you are." The blonde joked as he bumped into Sasuke's hip playfully.

"Come on. Let's get back to the others." Naruto began like he was about to walk away but paused in his steps as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah." He fished around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a handful of loose change. Sasuke watched intently as Naruto popped the coins in the soda machine and clicked on the button for a can of sprit. "Here." Naruto grabbed the can and opened it before offering it to Sasuke. "On me."

Naruto grinned after Sasuke hesitantly expected the can and took a small sip of its contents. "Let's go." Sasuke nodded before Naruto took off in the direction of his friends. The Uchiha had to hang back for a minute or two until his emotions were back in check. "Dammit Naruto… You're only making it worse!" Sasuke grumbled angrily under his breath. He couldn't even enjoy the fact that Naruto had felt so protective towards him. All he could do was worry that maybe his brother had been right all along. Maybe he did like Naruto more than he had thought.

Maybe… just _maybe_… Sasuke Uchiha was starting to fall in love with Naruto Uzumaki...

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**Laura: Omg the L-word was mentioned! SON OF A BITCH WE'RE GETTING THERE! Hahahah if you haven't noticed I'm a little excited. :P I betcha didn't expect to see Suigetsu again huh? ;D There's nothing sexier than an over protective Naruto am I right?! *Swoons* Okay so that's the end of this one! Please don't forget to leave me a review and I'll see you all next Thursday as usual! Later!**


	19. Temptation

**Laura: Herro my friends! Here we are with chapter 19. I've had so much fun writing this story so far and to all of you who have stuck with me from the very beginning YOU'RE AWESOME. I still don't know exactly how many chapters are left but I guess that's kind of a good thing? Hahah I'll let you know once I know. :P Anyway I think you're gonna like this chapter so let's get to it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss**

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Naruto shifted onto his knees so that he could straddle Sasuke's waist properly without crushing him under his body weight. Sasuke looked shocked but there was also something else hidden in his eyes. Naruto couldn't be sure of what it was, but he didn't think it was bad. If anything it almost looked encouraging. If the flaming red on his pale cheeks was any indication, it was easy to tell that Sasuke was extremely embarrassed by their current situation. Naruto was embarrassed too. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Not between them.

Being so incredibly close to Sasuke's face, Naruto could finally see just how _beautiful_ the Uchiha truly was. His perfectly pale, unblemished skin. His dark, obsidian eyes that you could get lost in for hours. The way his pink lips slightly parted as he breathed in and out… The sight almost took his breath away. In this position, pinned underneath Naruto's body, Sasuke couldn't escape even if he wanted to, and Naruto was doing all he could not to simply ravish the man right then and there.

At some point Sasuke had grabbed onto Naruto's sleeve with a strength and desperation that Naruto hadn't ever seen before. Sasuke was holding onto his jacket as if it was his life line, making Naruto's lips lift up in the corner forming a gentle smile. It made him feel wanted, if only for a moment. Naruto's head began moving forward as Sasuke's own head lifted ever so slightly from the floor in an attempt to meet the blonde half way. With Naruto's body pressed up tightly against Sasuke's and their breath mixing together as one, only one coherent thought came to Naruto's mind just as their lips were about to touch.

_'How the hell did this happen?'_

It had started off as a relatively normal day in the Uchiha-Uzumaki household. Naruto had decided the minute he woke up that it would be best for both of them if he put some space between Sasuke and himself so he had spent most of the morning locked up in his bedroom. Naruto had been driving himself crazy stressing over what was happening to him. Or at least what he _thought_ was happening to him. Wanting to kiss his roommate was something he decided he could rationalize. It was a physical attraction.

Sasuke was hot, he'd admit that much. So of course he wouldn't be apposed to the idea of kissing him. That didn't mean he was gay or bi or whatever, it just meant he could appreciate the physical appearance of another male. Guys did it all the time through jealousy. How was this any different? It didn't mean anything and Naruto could have gone on with his life believing that... but yesterday had changed things. It was one thing to think about kissing Sasuke, but now he found himself wanting to _protect _Sasuke. Sure maybe it didn't sound like that big of a deal because Naruto was always protective when it came to the people he cared about, but this time it had been different.

With Sasuke it was _different._

The pure rage that he felt towards Suigetsu just wasn't natural. He knew Sasuke and Suigetsu had had a fallout which had already earned Suigetsu a spot on Naruto's list of douche bags, but when he had heard the things he had said to Sasuke and _about_ Sasuke it was like he had been transferred onto Naruto's hit list instantaneously. If Naruto was being perfectly honest with himself he would've punched the dick out right then and there if it hadn't been for Sasuke.

Naruto could tell right away that Sasuke didn't want a fight to break out. He knew Sasuke wasn't a confrontational person so he did his best to respect his wishes and not start something. But if Sasuke hadn't been there and it was just the two of them… yikes. Let's just say Naruto hoped he wouldn't have another run in with Suigetsu. If he did, he was afraid of what he might do. Clearly Naruto was starting to lose his mind and Sasuke was the only one around to blame.

All these weird feelings had seemed to hit Naruto all at once, but Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that maybe he had been feeling these things for longer than he was willing to admit to himself. When Naruto was with Sakura he was pretty much blind to everything going on around him. And if there was even a possibility of him feeling something for Sasuke he never would have pondered on it. Naruto was 100% faithful, so the thought had never crossed his mind.

Now that Sakura was gone however, things were starting to become more apparent. Maybe he had been in denial at first, but now he couldn't help but think that maybe… maybe there was something more going on here. Naruto knew that Sasuke was important to him. All the rough times they had been through together just made Naruto want to cherish what they had even more. From the very first meeting Naruto knew that being around Sasuke would be unusual. All of his other friends like Kiba and Gaara had gravitated towards him and almost immediately became an active part of his life because they liked him.

Sasuke was different.

In the beginning, Sasuke looked at Naruto as a burden. He didn't want to be his roommate and he sure as hell didn't want to be his friend. If Naruto had made a correct assumption, then in the beginning Sasuke didn't want anything to do with him. The thought of someone not liking him had left a bitter taste in the blonde's mouth. If there was one thing Naruto hated it was to be looked down upon by his peers. Or anyone really. Naruto had felt determined to prove that he could be more than just a nuisance.

He had accepted the challenge of becoming Sasuke's roommate and then even his friend. For once in his life Naruto had found himself chasing after someone else. He had to earn Sasuke's trust, earn his friendship, and that alone had created a bond between them that was more profound then any other. Maybe that was it. Maybe Naruto viewed Sasuke as a prize and these feelings that he's mistaking for… _something else _is just his reluctance to give up his accomplishment. Could that really be it? Was that all Naruto saw Sasuke as? A prize? No, that wasn't right.

He wasn't a thing. He wasn't an object. He was a person. A smart, funny, brave… and incredibly sexy person. He was unlike anyone Naruto had ever met before. Even after everything that happened with his parents he had still pushed on to get to where he was today. He's got his whole future mapped out and he's pushing closer and closer towards his goals each and every day. Life had handed him the shittiest deck of cards but still he had never given up. Naruto on the other hand was the complete opposite.

He had grown up in a nice home with over bearing parents who had spoiled him. He always had someone there to look out for him and take care of him. He was lucky, luckier than most kids and yet he had absolutely nothing to show for it. Sure he was a good person in general, but his future plan was a blank slate. Naruto didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He didn't have goals or dreams to fight for. Hell, he didn't even know if he was going to graduate from college.

And even if he did, what then? It's not like he could just go back home. Naruto was going to be left behind while Sasuke was out in the world making his dreams a reality. Naruto was lucky that Sasuke even considered him a teal friend. Thinking there was something more going on between them was just Naruto being delusional. Besides, even if Naruto did feel something different for the Uchiha it wouldn't matter. Sasuke certainly deserved better than him.

Regardless of this realization Naruto was starting to lose faith in his own self control and decided to spend the rest of the weekend with Kiba, hoping that would help keep his mind off of certain _things_. He had just finished packing his bag when he received a text from Kiba announcing his arrival at the apartment. In his rush to answer the front door, Naruto barged out of his bedroom and stumbled out into the hall way. Unknown to the blonde, Sasuke had been replacing a burnt out light bulb in the middle of the hall. By the time Naruto had noticed the Uchiha it was already too late.

Naruto slammed right into Sasuke making the Uchiha immediately lose his balance and go tumbling towards the floor. "Naruto-!" In a panic Sasuke called out to Naruto and reached up to try and grab something to keep him on his feet. "Shit!" Naruto instinctively reached out for Sasuke but it only ended up making the situation worse. Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke and the two of them both went crashing to the floor together in an ungraceful heap. Naruto had somehow managed to get his hand caught under Sasuke's head, cushioning the blow, but he also managed to land right on top of the Uchiha, squishing him into the floor.

"Ow! Dammit! Are you okay?" Sasuke opened his eyes feeling dazed and quickly tried to blink away his confusion. After a moment of analyzing their situation Sasuke's cheeks flamed with embarrassment. He opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to respond as Naruto hovered over him. Naruto had landed in between Sasuke's opened legs pressing their hips flush against each other. As if Naruto had only just realized himself what had happened, his eyes widened and his own cheeks turned a light rosy colour. "Wha- uh… Are- are you okay…?"

He asked again although his voice was much quieter now. Sasuke's own flustered voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm fine…" Naruto tried to force out a laugh at the pure irony of the situation but it came out strained. Sasuke was just looking at him as if he was waiting for Naruto to make the next move. The only problem was Naruto's next move was sure to cause them nothing but trouble. These were the events that had led up to Naruto's current predicament. A stupid fucking collision in the hall had destroyed Naruto's self control and ruined everything! Their noses brushed together making Naruto's muscles tense and Sasuke's grip on his sleeve tighten. They were so close…

But still so far.

"The _fuck_?" Kiba didn't know if he was supposed to laugh at his best friend or be extremely disturbed by what was happening in front of him. If it had been a girl Naruto had been rolling around with then Kiba would have known the blonde was trying to get laid, but because it Sasuke, Kiba didn't know what the fuck was going on. Clearly the two men had been occupied with more important matters that had them distracted, which is why they hadn't noticed Kiba standing at the entrance to the hall.

After Kiba had made his presence painfully clear by his out burst, a moment later it was like someone had shoved a cattle prod down Naruto's throat. Naruto sprung up onto his feet in a matter of seconds and on impulse reached down and yanked Sasuke up with him, trying to hide whatever it was that was about to happen from their gawking onlooker. "Dude," Kiba looked at Naruto then looked over at Sasuke who was trying his best to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. "Did I just walk in on-" Naruto quickly interrupted before Kiba could speculate any farther.

"Changing a light bulb, heh, yeah! Sasuke was changing it and I bumped into him. Hahaha, I'm a real clutz huh?" Naruto looked over at Sasuke for some kind of help but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to back up Naruto's story because that wasn't _all_ that had happened. Kiba obviously wasn't his first choice to catch him and Naruto in a suggestive position, but he was so flustered and confused that he didn't know if he could even provide a decent response. Sasuke decided to take a temporary oath of silence. Naruto started laughing uncontrollably showing his distress and panic to change the subject.

"Yeah, okay so I'm gonna go grab my suitcase and Sasuke- Sasuke you're good? No broken bones?" Sasuke managed a timid nod. Naruto grinned wildly. "Fantastic." Once Naruto had his suitcase locked tightly in his grip he practically shoved Kiba out of the front door with the promise of booze, on him. "I guess I'll see you later then." Sasuke finally managed to force from his lips before the blonde could close the door behind them. Naruto turned back and felt an ache in his chest as he met Sasuke's miserable expression. "Yeah… I'll uh, see ya Sasuke." The door closed quietly behind him and suddenly Sasuke felt more alone than he had in a long time.

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**Laura: Well, well, well! Look what we have here! Seems our loveable idiots came very close to locking lips! Things are getting heated! DAMN KIBA AND HIS COCKBLOCKING! Lucky for us this is only the beginning. ;D That's all for today folks! Thanks for reading and please leave a review if you've got the time. :) I'll see ya'll in the next one! Until then!**


	20. Here We Go Again

**Laura: (12:09 am! It's technically Thursday! XD) Chapter 20 woo whoo! Where will this train end? No one knows! Does anyone actually want to know? Probably not! Seriously guys we're getting there. I feel like this whole story has just been one big tease. But you know what they say, the longer the build up the better the end result will be! And I say that in a totally non-sexual way. Get your heads out of the gutter geez...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"What happened after that?" Itachi asked his little brother sounding more intrigued than Sasuke thought he would. Sasuke ran a hand through his raven locks as he paced around his bedroom floor. "He just left and pretended like nothing happened. But something _did_ happen Itachi. I know it! The way he looked at me…" Sasuke sighed before collapsing down onto his bed and pressing the speaker button on his phone. He set the device on his bed side table as he buried himself into his pillows.

"Sorry for dragging you into my soap opera but I didn't know who else I could talk to... I used to think that I could handle this stuff on my own." Itachi brushed him off. "I'm always happy to help." Itachi assured him eagerly. If the eldest Uchiha was being honest his own life had been extremely boring lately and he was dying for some kind of excitement. Now and then his everyday life would get dull and he would begin to crave some kind of entertainment.

His own brother's love life, or lack there of, seemed to be a good place to start. "So what are you going to do now? He's coming back today isn't he?" Itachi asked. "I have no idea. For all know he could be staying there the whole week, and I really can't figure out if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Sasuke shrugged even though no one was around to see it. "What can I say to him? I mean I can't just ask him if he's gay. I can't do that, right?"

"I would advise against it."

"If I confront him he might freak out and leave again. If that happens then I'll never know how he feels about me. What should I do?"

"Sasuke, do you remember how Konan and I got together?"

"Yeah, you guys were friends for the longest time and then she asked you out. It was a little out of the blue if I recall." Sasuke answered but he couldn't see how this was related to his own problem. "That's correct. I was completely taken off guard by her confession. I had never showed any signs of seeing her as more than a friend but still she found the courage to tell me how she felt."

"Is there a point to this story?" Sasuke asked grumpily. Itachi chuckled over the line lifting Sasuke's spirits temporarily. "The point is maybe you're going about this all wrong. Try letting him come to you at his own pace just as Konan did. From what you've told me it seems as if Naruto may be experiencing some turmoil. He's probably very confused about what he feels for you and because of this he's running away. If you pressure him, as you said, it could end in disaster."

"So what you're saying is Naruto might already like me but is too afraid to admit it just like Konan?"

"I don't want to give you false hope, but it is a possibility." Sasuke quietly groaned under his breath and then shoved his face into his pillow. He knew his brother was just trying to help but he really didn't like his odds here. Sasuke could have never imaged in his wildest dreams that Naruto could be even remotely attracted to him. But after the almost kiss- and he was now convinced that it _was_ an almost kiss- he was starting to look at things differently.

Even if Naruto was starting to see him in a different light Sasuke still had no hope that anything would come of it. Yes they almost kissed today, but Sasuke had no idea whether it was out of mutual affection or lust. He didn't want it to purely be a physical attraction between them. He wanted there to be an emotional aspect to their relationship as well. He wanted Naruto to feel the same as he did. Sasuke wanted so much more then he was willing to admit and it hurt.

It was painful not knowing how Naruto really felt about him. At a time, Sasuke had convinced himself that he would be happy just having the blonde in his life as a friend, but their close encounter today had set a false sense of hope in the Uchiha's head. In the end, he knew it would only end up hurting him. "Don't sell yourself short." Itachi suddenly spoke pulling Sasuke out of his less than optimistic thoughts. "You need to have a little more confidence in yourself. Just be patient and let things run its course."

"What if this whole situation is hopeless? What if I've fallen for a guy who will never see me as anything more then a friend?"

"You'll move on." Sasuke couldn't fight back the pout that appeared on his lips at hearing his brother's blunt explanation. "But I don't want to move on… I really _really _like him." Itachi chuckled again at his brother's childish behaviour. "Sasuke and Naruto sitting in a tree."

"Are you sure you're the oldest between the two of us?"

"Hey, you're the one chasing after some guy like a love struck teenager." Sasuke glowered. "Very funny." Before Itachi could come up with anymore teasing tactics someone rang Sasuke's door bell pulling his attention away from their conversation. "Look I gotta go. Someone's at the door. I'll call you on Thursday."

"I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks. See ya."

"Talk to you later." Sasuke ended the call before ungracefully rolling off his bed and onto his feet, groaning as the person continued to obnoxiously ring the door bell over and over again. For a moment Sasuke wondered if perhaps Naruto had forgotten his key. A spark of hope flashed through the Uchiha's body urging him to speed walk to the front door. Taking a small breath to calm his nerves, Sasuke carefully unlocked the door and opened it.

Out of all the people on this godforsaken earth it had to be _her_.

"Um, hi Sasuke… Do you think we could talk?" Sakura fidgeted nervously as Sasuke glared at her. He saw no reason for showing her any signs of courtesy when she and Naruto weren't even together anymore. Hell, she was lucky Sasuke was even willing to respond to her instead of just slamming the door in her face. "Naruto's not here." He said curtly. Sasuke could only assume that was all she was interested in. She was probably going to try and beg for his forgiveness again.

What a joke.

"Actually I'm here to see you." Sasuke snorted. "I have nothing to say to you." Sasuke made a move to close the door but Sakura skilfully stuck her foot into the door blocking the rest of the way. "5 minutes. That's all I'm asking for."

"I don't owe you anything Sakura. You broke my best friend's heart forcing him to spiral into a drunken stupor and now you actually have the nerve to try and get him back?" Sasuke shook his head in disgust. "Sorry but you'll have to look for sympathy from someone else." Sasuke once again tried ending the conversation but this time Sakura reached out and grabbed the door forcibly holding it open. "You're judging me without even knowing my side of the story! All I want is to be his friend again and make this right. I just need a chance. _Please_ Sasuke."

This was the first time that Sasuke had really looked at her since she arrived. She looked distraught and desperate which Sasuke thought was fitting and well deserved. But then he thought about how he would react if he was at risk of losing Naruto forever, how he would cope. In his mind, Sasuke couldn't see too many differences between their reactions. He pitied the girl, but that didn't mean he was willing to risk his friendship with Naruto by talking to her.

Sasuke would openly admit that he was pretty clueless when it came to relationships, but he knew enough to know that socializing with the ex was frowned upon. It would be seen as betrayal. Maybe Ino got a free pass because she was a girl and Naruto had known her longer, but Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't be offered the same generosity. When Sakura realized that she wasn't going to receive a response the pinkette took matters into her own hands and marched through the threshold ignoring Sasuke's aggravated glower. "You know this is called breaking and entering right? I could have you arrested."

"So call the police." Sakura smirked with a challenging glint in her eyes. "Don't test me." Sasuke quipped, certainly not in the mood for her cocky disposition. The two stood in the living room for a moment glaring each other down before Sakura finally sighed and dropped their eye contact. "I'm not the horrible, insensitive bitch that you all think I am. Believe it or not Naruto isn't the only one who got hurt in this whole mess. The guilt of what I've done to such an incredible person is killing me Sasuke."

"If he's so incredible then why would you cheat on him?" Sasuke hoped that if he was blunt enough maybe she would take it as a hint to leave him alone. Sakura opened her mouth and began to say something but she appeared to change her mind half way through. Instead she sunk down onto the couch, her eyes never leaving the floor. "Because things were going really well between us." Sasuke's expression of bewilderment showed he clearly had no idea what she was talking about.

"He was always so sweet to me and he never questioned any of my choices. He looked out for me, defended me. He was the ideal boyfriend." Sakura bit her lip as her eyes wandered back up to Sasuke. "I was scared okay? I was scared he was getting too serious. I was scared he was going to fall in love with me."

"And that's such a bad thing?"

"Yes. I wasn't looking for anything long term. I thought since we were friends first that we had a mutual understanding of what our relationship was." Sasuke was baffled. "So you're saying he was nothing but a game to you? Some kind of meaningless booty call?"

"You're putting words into my mouth. That's not what I said!"

"You didn't have to. I read between the lines." Sakura couldn't bear to look at him in the eye anymore without the fear of breaking down into tears from his harsh words. She tried to take a second or two to calm herself down but Sasuke was on a roll. He just couldn't let this girl get away with talking about someone precious to him in this manner. It made him furious.

"Let me see if I've got this right. You thought you were in too deep so you slept with the first guy you could find to take the edge off? Any person would be lucky to have a man like Naruto fall in love with them and you _know _that. The fact that you couldn't even spare him the decency of breaking up with him first really shows me how clueless you were about what you had." Sasuke didn't want to waste his time ranting to this girl but apparently he had already cracked through Sakura's wall of repressed emotions.

The tears started of slow, gently rolling off her cheeks then landing in her lap. Sasuke fought back the eye roll he was desperate to show in exchange for being the better person and not ridiculing her further. It wasn't until she began full on sobbing into her hands did Sasuke realize that maybe he had gone too far. "I just want my friend back." She cried. "I just want things to go back to the way they were. Ino tried to help me but Naruto won't budge. Please Sasuke just- just talk to him for me. Convince him to give me a second chance! He'll listen to you!"

"I'm not getting involved Sakura."

"Why not?!" Sakura shouted as she abruptly stood up again. Her eyes had become red and puffy from crying but she tried to hide the evidence by wiping her face with her sleeve. She tried to look angry but her sobbing was preventing her from delivering an effective glare. Sasuke sighed as his want to belittle her died off into a numb feeling of guilt. He couldn't help it. He wasn't a malicious person. He didn't want to make her cry. "Look Sakura, I'm sorry I made you upset."

Sakura wiped at her face again and Sasuke waited till she was done so he could look her in the eye. "But this isn't my fight. It never was. I honestly have no idea why you would even come to me in the first place. You barely even know me." Sakura sniffed. "I thought you would understand…" Sasuke shook his head defiantly. "I won't put in a good word for you Sakura. But if you want I can give you some advice." Sakura didn't trust herself to speak again so she nodded her head instead.

Sasuke slowly sat down on the couch and urged Sakura to join him. She faltered for a moment but ultimately sat down next to Sasuke, her expression hesitant. "My advice would be to accept the consequences of your actions and try to move on." Sasuke began using the closest thing to an authoritative tone he could come up with. "You can't always fix what's been broken. Sometimes you just gotta… let it go. Sometimes there is no 'happy ending'." Sakura didn't say much after that. Sasuke wasn't sure if she was actually considering his advice or if she had just completely tuned him out.

He had expected more water works or maybe even a couple of curse words aimed in his direction, but what he hadn't expected was to see her smiling at him. She sniffed a few times before whispering a quick, "Thank you." and then leaning in for a hug. Sasuke didn't have the heart to reject her but that didn't make him any less uncomfortable with a weeping girl on his shoulder. Sasuke closed his eyes and awkwardly began patting her on the back.

_'How do I get myself into these situations?'_

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**Laura: SHE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK. Ya'll hate me yet? Muahahaha! I love drama. XD For some reason I really like making Sakura the bad guy lol. Anyway thanks for reading and please leave a review! I should have an estimate of when this story will be finished in the next chapter. See ya in the next one. XD**


	21. Wrong Place Wrong Time

**Laura: Hey guys! I got too excited and decided to post this a day early. I assume that's not a problem? :P So it looks like 25 chapters will be the end of this journey. I figured it was a pretty good number. It'll be the longest story I've ever written! How awesome is that?! Anyway I hope you guys enjoy these last few chapters. Read on my friends!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Today it was Sunday, also known as "time for Naruto to deal with his shit" day. He knew he couldn't stay with Kiba forever, and believe you me he had no intention of doing so, but going back home seemed just as unappealing. Naruto had tried to take his mind off things and just have a good time but there had been… let's call them distractions. On the first night after the two left the apartment, Kiba had dragged Naruto out to 9 tailed Fox where Aya proceed to pester him about Sasuke's whereabouts. Naruto's luck with forgetting the Uchiha continued to decrease throughout the entire weekend.

If it wasn't seeing Sasuke's name pop up every time he opened his contacts to send a text, then it was random people walking by on the street that held some kind of physical resemblance to the Uchiha. He just couldn't escape! And all these constant reminders led Naruto to believe that maybe the universe was trying to tell him something. "Get your shit together." It said. "Stop being a pussy and go talk to him." Easier said then done. What was he even supposed to say anymore? Sure he could apologize for almost kissing him… _again. _

But the truth is he wasn't sorry. Not one bit. Naruto had wanted that kiss more than he needed air to breathe. They were so close. So damn close! Why didn't he push him off? Why didn't he freak out and yell at him? Sasuke had plenty of time to react but all he did was lay there quietly. Naruto could have sworn that he even moved closer! Like he was actually excepting it! But that was absurd! Sasuke couldn't… I mean it's not like he actually wanted… It was impossible, right? But Naruto couldn't have read the signs wrong.

The blonde knew a thing or two about romance and relationships. He knew how to read people and Sasuke's reaction had shown nothing but want. Maybe even… desire? Oh god Naruto was going to make himself sick. Fucking Kiba! Why did he have to show up and ruin everything! If he hadn't shown up who knows what could have happened? That could have been his only shot and Kiba ruined it! Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't feel like kicking his best friend in the dick. God knows he would have deserved it. But he knew Kiba would probably kick his ass afterwards so instead he opted for giving him dirty looks every now and then.

If Kiba had noticed Naruto's sour mood while he was visiting he didn't say anything to him. But Naruto had a strong feeling that Kiba knew exactly what he had walked in on. Every now and then he would give Naruto this look like he was gloating about something. By end of the weekend Naruto had decided the elephant in the room had gotten way too big for his liking. It drove him crazy knowing that Kiba was probably laughing at him behind his back. But at the same time the blonde also felt a little relieved. Kiba hadn't treated him differently or looked at him with disgust. Things had been normal between them.

Naruto honestly couldn't tell you how he thought Kiba would react to him liking another male. Naturally, the subject of liking someone of the same sex had never come up between them. Naruto hoped that they were close enough that something like this wouldn't tear them apart, but life was unpredictable. Who knows how he would react? Naruto had just finished re-packing his suitcase when he finally worked up enough courage to find out. "Hey Kibs?" Kiba was, surprise surprise, sipping on a beer while watching funny video compilations on his laptop. He pulled off his headphones before glancing over his shoulder at the blonde. "Sup?"

"You got a sec?" Naruto asked hesitantly. "Yeah dude, but hurry up. This bitch is about to go down." Naruto slowly zipped up his suitcase, clearly trying to stall for time. Kiba showed his annoyance by turning to face him head on and glaring at him. "What did I just say?" Kiba reprimanded. "Okay, okay… I just- I actually wanted your advice on something. Its, uh, important, so could you try and take it seriously?"

"Is this part of your coming out speech?" Kiba smirked.

For a minute silence filled the room… Naruto blinked at him, once, twice, three times, but his mouth was glued shut. Yeah, he knew that Kiba was never subtle when it came to sensitive subjects, but saying it so bluntly had left Naruto a little speechless. Was he supposed to say yes…? Because that's where this conversation was heading anyway. He didn't want to further Kiba's cocky know-it-all shtick, but he really didn't know where to go from here.

He should really consider finding a new best friend. "You- you're a real ass you know that? I told you to take this seriously!" Naruto eventually managed to stammer out in a panic. "I've been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you about this all day and then you just say something like that? What the hell?! Are you really that inconsiderate?!" Kiba raised his hands in defence against Naruto's shouting. "Dude, chill out. I'm just dicking around."

"How the hell am I supposed to chill out? My entire way of living is being compromised Kiba! I don't know how to handle this crap! I never thought I would be in this situation, man!"

"And what situation is that?" Kiba asked with a knowing grin. Clearly he was enjoying Naruto's hysterics. "You know what…" Naruto grumbled as he turned his back on the brunette and settled for collapsing face first onto Kiba's bed. "Ah, you mean your man crush on Mr Clean?" Kiba asked much too casually. Naruto nodded into the pillows. "So what exactly is the problem? You two seemed to be getting along just fine when I last saw you." Naruto could hear Kiba repressing a chuckle.

"If you haven't noticed Kiba I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to my love life. Sakura decided I wasn't good enough for her, what if it's the same with Sasuke? At least Sakura and I had history. I wish I knew more about him, I really do, but I honestly don't. He was going to let me kiss him but I didn't even know he was gay! What chance could we possibly have at a real relationship if we know nothing about each other?" Kiba tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes quizzically. "You seriously didn't know he was gay?" Naruto winged a pillow directly at his face with vengeance. "Eat dirt and die Kiba. You mock my pain and I hope you burn in hell for it."

"You really are an idiot you know that?" Naruto slowly lifted his head from the mattress to peak out at the brunette. "First of all, the only person who cares about your new found sexuality is you, Naruto. People don't care about that shit anymore. And even if they did, who cares? We'll beat em up. Second of all, Sakura is a bitch. And third of all, Sasuke likes you. And you like him. So just save me from the sexual tension already and just _do something_ about it." Naruto carefully sat up, his expression astonished.

"Was that… were you actually being helpful just now?" Kiba shrugged. "Fuck if I know. I stopped being sober 10 minutes ago." Kiba raised his bottle as if proposing a toast. "Go get em tiger." He said with a wink before finishing off the rest of his beer and returning to his screen. Naruto thought hard for minute, considering his options. After the incident in the hall Naruto was sure they couldn't go back to the way things used to be. He wished he could just ignore his feelings or pretend they didn't exist but he knew that would be impossible.

Even when he wasn't near him, Sasuke was still on his mind. How could he possibly continue to act as if their relationship was strictly platonic? There was just no way. That left Naruto with only one option… and if the blonde was being honest, he didn't know if he was supposed to be happy or terrified. I guess he would just have to settle for both. Naruto eventually dragged himself off the bed and rolled his suitcase over to the door before turning back to face Kiba. "Should I thank you or would that just be weird?" The blonde asked, his usual playful grin back in place. Kiba waved him off, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen. "Go fuck yourself Naruto. Or better yet, go fuck Sas-"

"_Goodbye_ Kiba."

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The cab ride home seemed much longer than usual. In an attempt to calm his nerves, Naruto had asked the driver to turn on the radio. Unfortunately, the tedious pop songs that were playing only seemed to further his anxiety. As the cab pulled up into the building parking lot Naruto found himself becoming sluggish as he pulled himself out of the back seat. He'd been racking his brain for the right words to say on the ride over but he had ended up with squat. _'_

_I guess I'm just gonna wing it.'_ He thought as he climbed to the front door. It wasn't as bad a plan as it sounds. Naruto could usually handle coming up with things on the spot without panicking. He knew this was going to be different for obvious reasons, but he was counting on his social skills to make things easier on him. On the off chance he draws a blank, maybe he could just _show_ Sasuke what he meant.

The thought sent a warn shiver down the blonde's spine. The thought alone was enough encouragement for Naruto to put his key in the lock and open the front door. It wasn't as bad a plan as it sounds. Naruto could usually handle coming up with things on the spot without panicking. He knew this was going to be different for obvious reasons, but he was counting on his social skills to make things easier on him. On the off chance he draws a blank, maybe he could just _show_ Sasuke what he meant.

The thought sent a warm shiver down the blonde's spine. That idea alone was enough encouragement for Naruto to put his key in the lock, open the front door, and step inside with a new feeling of excitement. Maybe things would work out after all? Maybe Sasuke would feel the same? Maybe Naruto had been worried for nothing!.. But sadly, as mentioned before, life was unpredictable. And Naruto could have never predicted that Sasuke of all people would be cuddling with Sakura on their couch.

What the actual fuck?

Was Naruto seeing this right? Was he having a stroke? Nope, they were definitely real. There was nothing fake about the way Sasuke's hands rubbed sensually up and down her slender back. There was nothing fake about the way Sakura's arms were wrapped tightly around Sasuke's neck and her head nestled against his chin. There was nothing fake about the feeling of Naruto's throat dropping into his stomach. It wasn't fake. It was real. It was very much real and suddenly Naruto regretted his decision of ever coming home.

"What the hell?" The words slipped from Naruto's lips on their own accord as his suitcase dropped from his hand and landed with a loud thump on the floor. Sasuke's entire body froze. For a split second he thought that maybe it was just his imagination, but when Sakura lifter her head and let out a quiet gasp, Sasuke knew he couldn't have imagined it. Sasuke had pushed Sakura away and jumped to his feet in record time. He knew that nothing had happened or was ever going to happen, but he also knew how it must have looked to someone on the outside. "Naruto this isn't-"

"What it looks like?" Naruto finished for him in a clipped tone. "Really Sasuke? You're going to give me that old line?"

"Its not-!" This time it was Sakura who interrupted him. As she spoke she seemed completely clueless to the current situation they were in. "Naruto? When did you get back? How long have you been standing there?" Naruto's unforgiving blue eyes darted between the two of them. "Long enough." He sneered, eventually settling his gaze on Sasuke. Sasuke could feel himself starting to panic. Naruto had this all wrong! He had to set things straight before someone got hurt. "I'm telling you it's not like that!" Sasuke could hear the desperation in his own voice as he took a step towards his roommate. Naruto didn't move away but he didn't show any signs of forgiveness either. Sasuke quickly tried again. "Nothing happened she was just-"

"You know what? Save it! Screw both of you!" Naruto exclaimed startling Sasuke back a few steps. "Out of all the people in the world you had to pick her? Are you trying to hurt me or are you just a heartless bastard who doesn't know any better?"

"Would you just listen to me!" Naruto shook his head as he bent down to pick up his suitcase again. At this point something in Sakura's head seemed to click and she quickly stood up from the couch. "Wait, you actually think that he and I-" In his moment of hurt and betrayal Naruto couldn't allow himself to look at her or even acknowledge her. He didn't want to go down that road again. After this his relationship with Sakura would be unrepairable. But it wasn't his relationship with Sakura that had left him feeling so empty. It wasn't Sakura who had broken his heart... Naruto kept his gaze steadily on Sasuke. "You know for a second there I actually thought you cared about me."

"I do!" Sasuke insisted. "Oh yeah? Well you sure got a funny way of showing it." The next moment Naruto was storming back out the front door, never once looking back. "Naruto wait!" But it was too late. He was already gone. "What just happened?" Sasuke mumbled to himself as he raked his fingers roughly through his hair. "He seriously thought that I would hook up with you?!" Sakura shrieked, bringing on Sasuke's head ache. "That's crazy! No offence or anything, I mean you're hot and all but I wouldn't do that to him! Why the hell didn't you say anything?! Now he'll never-" Sasuke suddenly turned to the pinkette and then pointed directly at the door. "Get out." He said. "Excuse me?"

"Just- just go home. Please just… leave." Sakura's first instinct was to protest but something about Sasuke's sad, defeated tone changed her mind. She didn't bother saying goodbye to him, she just left the apartment and quietly closed the door behind her. Sasuke slowly dropped himself onto the couch before cradling his face in his hands. "What just happened?" He repeated in a whisper. _'Naruto…'_

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**Laura: *Evil maniacal laughter* I am such a little shit XD I'm sorry but at the same time I'm not. Lol. Thanks for sticking with me guys! Don't lose faith in me just yet! Please review and all that good stuff. Thanks for reading! I'll be back to posting on Thursdays next week. :P**


	22. Leap Of Faith

**Laura: I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22! Hahaha I am so sorry. T_T ****Hehe, I hope you're still not all soar about the last chapter. :P It'll get better, I promise! ****Alright, time to check in on our little raven. Let's see how Sasuke is handeling all this...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotsss.**

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Sasuke grabbed the two cups of freshly made tea that he had made only moments ago before heading out into the living room. He handed one cup to his brother who smiled in thanks before sitting down in his chair, taking a small sip from his own cup. "You seem awfully calm considering the circumstances." Itachi mused thoughtfully with his lips against the tea cup. "Should I not be?" Sasuke asked quietly. Itachi shrugged. "I just thought you would be a little more upset."

"Why should I be upset?" Sasuke asked a little too quickly earning a look of disbelief from his brother. "This is the first time I've had the place to myself in months. I don't have to worry about cooking or cleaning up his messing. And I don't have to share the bathroom anymore which has been just- fantastic." The more Sasuke stumbled over his words only raised Itachi's ever growing suspicion that what he was telling him wasn't necessarily the truth. The eldest Uchiha had a pretty good bullshit radar and right now Sasuke was just off the charts. "I'm fine." Sasuke insisted although his voice was lacking the confidence to back up his claim. "Really, I'm fine. I'm great actually. I'm- I'm-" Itachi could see right through him and Sasuke knew it.

He was caught.

"Okay I'm miserable." Sasuke ultimately admitted before placing his cup down on the coffee table. He let out a deep sigh as Itachi followed his lead and also put his cup down, showing Sasuke he had his full attention. "It's not just what happened with Sakura. It's just that he's _gone. _I've been sharing my life with this guy and now that he's gone it just feels off. I keep expecting to see him smiling at me when I walk through the door but he's not there. It's like he's just disappeared from my life and I can't help but feel…"

Sasuke's voice trailed off into a quiet whisper as he stared down into his lap. "Lonely. I couldn't tell you the last time I felt this lonely Itachi, and I'm worried that this feeling is never going to go away." Itachi smiled reassuringly when Sasuke decided to look back up at him. "Of course it will go away. As soon as you two make up everything will be fine." Sasuke shifted almost uncomfortably in his chair which peaked Itachi's curiosity. "That's the other thing…" Sasuke mumbled as he reached out for his tea again. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke took a sip of tea trying to prolong the conversation as much as he could. Up until this point he had only been thinking these thoughts to himself, but now he was worried that saying them out loud might stir up some emotions he would much rather keep to himself. Itachi, being the ever patient older brother, sat there in silence waiting until Sasuke was ready to continue. "Itachi, look at me. I've turned into a completely different person and it's all because of him.

Sulking around, feeling like I've been dumped… That isn't me. This isn't who I am Itachi and it's terrifying. I don't know if I can go through it all again. I don't want things to end like this but at the same time I'm thinking maybe it's for the best..." Itachi was quiet for a minute or two as he considered his little brothers words. He couldn't deny that Naruto had changed his brother in more ways than one, but he didn't necessarily think it was a bad thing. Itachi has had the privilege of watching his little brother come out of his shell these past few months since meeting Naruto.

Every time they would get together Sasuke would seem more lively than usual. Just mentioning the blonde's name could bring an instant smile to Sasuke's face without delay. It was something that Itachi hadn't seen for a long time. He was glad that Sasuke had found someone he cared for outside of their tight knit family of two. Of course he knew not everything was sunshine and rainbows, but Itachi always had a hunch that the two of them would somehow find their way to each other. If only they would get their acts together…

Itachi eventually sighed as he began speaking. "Sasuke, you hit a bump in the road. It was one of those situations where fate decided to be a bitch and screw everything up for you. It happens, you of all people should know that. But just because things seem frightening and confusing doesn't mean you should give up. You survived the death of both your parents at 6 years old, this should be a cake walk for you." Sasuke bowed his head again and began to sulk. He knew his brother was right.

If he could survive losing his parents then he could get over his petty fears and fight for what he wanted. What he wanted was Naruto, and for a split second he thought that maybe the blonde wanted him back. But now Sasuke's hopes were being squished if not completely gone all together. Naruto values trust more than anything else and he is currently under the impression that Sasuke betrayed him. How was he supposed to go about fixing this? He didn't even do anything wrong! The only thing he was rightfully accused of is consorting with the enemy, and only to a small degree. He was just so tired of Sakura trying to save something that just wasn't there anymore…

And that's where his thoughts came from.

He was turning into Sakura. Sasuke was constantly putting himself through turmoil for something that wasn't even there to begin with. How could he let himself become so pathetic? At least if he decided to leave it alone he could walk away with some of his pride. The only problem was the goal of forgetting about Naruto seemed indefinitely unreachable. Sasuke loved him. He didn't know why and he didn't know how but he had fallen head over heels for that big, dumb jock. It was absolutely maddening! He wished he had never even met him, at least then he could go on blissfully unaware of love and how intense it could be.

Or how it has a tendency to fuck up your entire life.

"Sasuke, I can see smoke coming out of your ears." Sasuke quickly shook his head to pull himself from his deep thoughts. "Sorry, sorry… I just- I can't stop thinking about how simple things would be if I just let him go. People do it all the time, right? They fall in love, have their heart broken and then they move on. It's the circle of life. Yeah Naruto is my first, but that doesn't mean he'll be my last. I've got plenty of time to fall for someone else. And now that I know what I'm interested in, it won't be as difficult." During Sasuke's rambling Itachi's expression appeared to be solemn.

Sasuke had a knack for trying to rationalize everything and, yeah, maybe he was right, maybe Naruto wouldn't be the last, but then again maybe he would. It was a possibility, and Itachi wasn't willing to let his little brother give something like that up. "Sasuke," Itachi's voice was quiet and gentle as he spoke, soothing. He knew his brother well enough to know that he preferred the sympathetic approach apposed to the harsher 'I'm older than you so listen to me' approach.

"Your whole life you've been pushing people away. And the people that you do decide to let in never seem to stick. But Naruto has. Out of all of the people who have been obsessing and fanning over you for years, _you_ _chose Naruto_. He's your first love and nothing is going to change that. He's encouraged you to try new things and come out of your comfort zone. I can barley even do that Sasuke. Why do you think he reacted so strongly to the situation? He was upset because he thought _you_ betrayed him. Not Sakura. Clearly the man has feelings for you that go beyond friendship. Doesn't that mean something to you? Can you really walk away from something like that?"

Sasuke glowered at his brother. _Stupid Itachi and his voice of reason_… "No, I guess not." Sasuke agreed dejectedly before taking another drink. He then looked over at Itachi with a deep from on his lips. "I'm going to be miserable until I talk to him, aren't I?" His brother nodded carefully. "You don't really want to lose him, do you." It wasn't really a question, it was more like a stated fact. Sasuke's chest constricted painfully at the thought. Of course he didn't want to lose Naruto. Sasuke wanted to stay by his side, he wanted to learn more about him.

But most of all he wanted his love. He wanted Naruto to look at him like he was the most important thing in his world. Sasuke knew it was extremely selfish and self-absorbed on his part, but it was how he truly felt. He was at a cross roads with himself. "If things don't go the way I want them to I'm just going to get hurt again…" Sasuke mumbled as he slumped back into his chair defeated. "I guess you have a choice to make. You can push aside your insecurities and take a chance on what you might have with him, or you could move on and let him go. What are you going to do?"

"Try to pin point the exact moment I lost my ability to think logically..." Sasuke grumbled earning a quiet chuckle from his brother. "Love does strange things to us. You're definitely not the first victim. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Do you still get like this when Konan is around?" Itachi smiled thoughtfully against his tea cup. "Every time." He admitted sincerely before taking a sip. "The only difference is I'm actually in a relationship with her. You on the other hand," Itachi let his voice trail off as Sasuke unhappily glared over at him. Itachi smirked hoping that if he got his brother a little rilled up then maybe he would stop sulking and take some action. "I really don't see the point in dragging this out. You want him so go get him."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? He's been dodging me all week. I've texted, I've called. I even tried catching him after classes but he was gone before I could even open my mouth. I caught up with Kiba hoping he could help me find him but all he said was he couldn't break the bro code and then ran off while flipping me the bird. I'll never make any progress this way."

"So what's your plan?" Sasuke shrugged half heartedly. "Wait it out I guess. Maybe if I back off he'll cool down a bit and we can talk. I think it would do us both some good. Besides, I need to work up the nerve to actually tell him how I feel…" Itachi couldn't help but snort in amusement earning him another sharp glare from his little brother. "You're going to come up with a speech aren't you?" Sasuke stuck his nose in the air holding his ground.

"It never hurts to be prepared." He stated all knowingly. Itachi shook his head as he sighed. "Just don't go over board. You are notorious for being an overachiever. I don't think something like this should be beaten to death." Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Itachi finished off his tea as innocently as ever. "Why are you getting so much pleasure from my pain? I thought you were supposed to be understanding." Itachi shrugged, obviously supressing a grin. "I don't know. Maybe I'm a sadist. Just like that spider of yours."

"Dammit Itachi, I told you that in confidence!"

"Poor judgment on your part really." For now Sasuke was happy with using his brother as a distraction from his current problem. But he knew it couldn't last forever. Somehow Sasuke had to convey his feelings to Naruto without making a complete fool of himself. The Uchiha had absolutely no idea how these confessions were supposed to work, and the more he thought about it the more worked up he became. Maybe he was over thinking things? He almost always does. Should he just try winging it like Itachi had suggested? Without a doubt it went against everything that Sasuke believed in, but then again it wouldn't be the first time he did something unexpected since he met Naruto. Why did this have to be so complicated?

'_What am I supposed to do?' _

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**Laura: ****I really love writing these brotherly moments between the Uchiha's. It's so much fun playing around with Itachi's character. XD So how are we doing guys? Are you still loving this? I'm freaking pumped hahah. Reviews are greatly appreciated as always! See you guys on Thursday!**


	23. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Laura: So we're reaching the end of our journey here. I gotta say I'm starting to feel the depression set it... I really love writing for this story and its sad to think about saying goodbye to these characters. I'm guessing some of you can relate? Well guys as much as I'd like to drag this out I should probably let ya'll start reading. :P Today we find out what Naruto's been up to. I know most of you were pretty upset with the goof so lets try and give him the benefit of the doubt for this chapter, neh? Enjoy my friends.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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"Alright, that's it. I've tried to be patient. I've tried to be understanding of your situation and I do want to help you to some degree. But I swear to God Naruto if you don't go home right now I'm going to set you on fire and watch you burn to death."

"Good morning to you too Kiba." Naruto groaned as he sat up and rubbed at the back of his sore head. Kiba showed no signs of remorse, if anything he was about ready to kick him in the head on purpose. "This is the fourth time I've tripped over your stupid ass! I almost smacked my head on the damn desk! I could have broken my neck!"

"Well then maybe you should watch where you're going." Naruto grumbled as he rolled out of his sleeping bag and unsteadily climbed to his feet. The brunette glared at the back of his best friend's head as Naruto began searching through the fridge for a bottle of something to drink. "Dude, it's been a week. You've been borrowing my clothes, sleeping on my floor and eating my food for a whole fucking week. I'd take a bullet for you, but sharing my digs is crossing a line. You're gonna get me kicked out of school. Or at the very least murdered by my roommate."

"I thought Shino said he was cool with me crashing here." Naruto peered over at the only other bed in the room that was occupied by Shino. The blonde had thought he was still asleep seeing as it was only 7, and so he was surprised when Shino suddenly made a comment. "Last night I considered smothering you with a pillow." He said with his eyes still closed. Naruto would have laughed if he hadn't sounded so serious. "What is with you guys and your want to brutally murder me?" Kiba smirked. "I think its brought us closer together as roommates."

"Go to Hell Kiba." Shino grumbled as he rolled over in bed so his back was facing the two men whom he had grown to hate with a passion over the last few days. Kiba stuck his tongue out at his roommate's back as Naruto pulled out a small bottle of orange juice from the fridge. "Why can't you just stay with your parents?" Kiba found himself whining earning himself a raised eyebrow in response. Kiba loved Naruto like a brother but there was always a limit of how much he could handle. One day with Naruto? Usually not enough. Two days with Naruto? Easy, time to go wild and party.

Three days with Naruto? A full night of movie marathons. But a whole _week_ with Naruto? Kiba cringed. No wonder his parents kicked him out. "Can't. Pride." Was the only answer Naruto would offer before popping the cap off the bottle and taking a sip of orange juice. "Well then, what about Gaara? I'm sure he'd be happy to put up with your heart break bullshit." Naruto shook his head adamantly. "No good. You guys only joke about killing me, but Gaara would have the balls to actually go through with it. I'd like to live until I'm at least 30 if you don't mind."

"Then stay at a damn hotel!"

"Too expensive."

"Well you have to go somewhere!" Kiba barked as he reached out and snatched away Naruto's drink. "Rude."

"Just go home you fucking idiot!"

"I can't!" Naruto growled. Kiba threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why? Because you saw Sasuke hugging your sloppy seconds?!"

"If it looks like a duck and quakes like a duck. You weren't there Kiba. You didn't see it. The way Sasuke pulled away from her like someone had tazed him. The look of guilt on his face…" Naruto shuddered out of anger but also sorrow. Sasuke had looked guilty as sin when Naruto had walked in on them. There was no doubt in the blonde's mind of what would have taken place if he hadn't showed up when he did.

"How the hell am I just supposed to pretend like it never happened and go home? I feel like they ripped my heart out and stomped on it right in front of me. Do you have any idea what that's like? Sakura- that's long over. I can't forgive her after this, I won't. And Sasuke- he knew what happened, he knew what it did to me and he still betrayed my trust. I don't know how I'm gonna get past that Kiba. Or if I even want to for that matter."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" The brunette asked although his interest in the whole soap opera had long since faded. "I don't know…" Naruto's voice died out as he quietly peeked over at Shino again. He wasn't completely comfortable with sharing his feelings in front of an audience. It was hard enough with just Kiba and his obnoxious comments. "Shino, can I trust you to keep this to yourself?" Naruto asked. He was almost hoping the other man would say no so he wouldn't have to talk about how he really felt.

"I could care less about you being a homo." Shino grumbled before slamming a pillow over his head. Kiba let out a sarcastic snort earning a quick jab to the shoulder from Naruto. "Now keep your damn voices down! I'm trying to sleep!" Shino demanded in a harsh tone. Naruto shook his head showing his disapproval before turning back to Kiba. "Have I seemed, I don't know… _different_ since I moved in with him?" Kiba's response was almost immediate. "Absolutely, he's turned you into a back door bandit."

"I'm serious man! You can't deny that ever since I met him things have been different. It's not the same like it is with you and me." A look of horror crossed Kiba's face. "Dear God, I hope not."

"I mean he's special. He got under my skin and I don't even know how he did it! I liked being around him. I _really_ liked being around him Kiba. When its just the two of us he's so smart and witty. He challenges me in a way that no one ever has. But at the same time he's shy and quiet. At first I didn't really understand him because he was so different, but now I can see what an amazing person he is. I know you're not crazy about him but I-"

"You are?" Kiba finished for him with an eyebrow raised. Naruto shrugged, defeated. "I was… Dammit, I still am, but this whole situation is just bullshit. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe whatever I have with Sasuke just isn't worth trying to save... " Kiba let out an annoyed grown before pulling his phone out of his jeans pocket and dialling in a number. Naruto watched with mild curiosity as Kiba greeted the other person on the phone. "Good morning Ma'am. It's Kiba." He was using his polite voice which struck Naruto as odd. "Yes, I think that'd be best. Thank you, here he is." Kiba then handed the phone over to Naruto with a glare. "Talk." He demanded. Naruto hesitantly put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi sweetheart." Naruto immediately recognized the voice as his mother and sent Kiba a deadly glare. "You called my mother?!" He whispered harshly while covering the receiver with his hand. Kiba shrugged. "It was my last resort. I already told her what happened yesterday so just listen to her wisdom, kay?" Naruto shook his head in astonishment. "I don't know what's more disturbing, the fact that you told my mother about my gay crush on my roommate or the fact that you know her number by heart." Kiba wiggled his eye brows suggestively before heading over to his computer desk to play some pointless games on his laptop. Naruto rolled his eyes before removing his hand from the phone. "Look Mom, I love you and all but I'm a grown man. I really don't need my Mommy to hold my hand whenever things get tough. No offence."

"As your mother it is my duty to inform you when you're being a complete moron. And might I add this is the same "grown man" who practically begged his parents to let him stay home. If you ask me that sounds pretty childish. _No offence_." Naruto didn't know if he should feel humiliated for being burned by his own mother or proud of her for having such a quick and snarky response. "Fair enough… Be honest with me. Are you weirded out by this? I totally get it if you are and I'm willing to talk about it if that's what you need to feel more comfortable-"

"Naruto, shut up and listen to me." Kushina suddenly cut him off in that demanding parent tone that he's heard all throughout his childhood, making him feel like a mouse caught in a trap. "I am perfectly capable of accepting your lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. But what I can't accept is you jumping to conclusions and getting hurt because of it." Naruto rolled his eyes before slumping down onto Kiba's bed. "Mom, this really isn't something you can help me with, okay? Like I just finished telling Kiba, I'm the one who saw them, not you."

"You've been doing this since you were a boy you know. You act tough but as soon as things get hard you run away with your tail between your legs. Are you really willing to just give up your first romantic feelings for another man without even exploring them?"

"Maybe." Naruto mumbled suddenly feeling like he was in the middle of a very awkward counselling session. "You know what happened with Sakura. I don't exactly have high hopes for a romance right now…"

"And what about your financial stability, hm? That apartment is your home. You caught a reasonable deal with Sasuke sharing the expenses. If you don't work things out with him then where are you going to go? You can't just up and move. You can barely keep up with the rent as it is."

"Have you been spying on me?" Naruto asked partly joking but at the same time seriously wondering if his crazy mother had been keeping tabs on him somehow. "Don't change the subject." Kushina said, ironically changing the subject herself. "I'm not going to sit here and scold you. But if you want my advice I'd find out the truth before making any rash decisions. It sounds like Sasuke could be good for you… and God knows it wouldn't hurt to give you a little extra guidance."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're qualified to be a parent." Naruto chided with a playful smirk. Naruto could hear his mother's own smirk in her response. "Sometimes I wonder that myself." There was a pause for a moment as both Uzumaki's sighed simultaneously. "Just do what makes you happy." Kushina said as a last resort. A smile pulled at the corner of Naruto's mouth. Kushina was notorious for being playful then almost in a blink of an eye jumping to being a concerned parent. "Thanks Ma. Give Dad my best."

"I will. Love you sweetheart. Talk to you soon."

"Love you too." Naruto hung up before passing the cell phone back to Kiba. "Well?" Kiba asked seeming to be interested in the blonde's decision. His eyes however never left the computer screen. "I think I'm gonna go talk to him." Naruto sighed. "You know, she has a point. I'll never know what really happened until I ask. Hell, I'm not even sure if Sasuke will want to talk to me anymore. After all I have been ignoring him for a week. And I did tell him to go screw himself... Not that I should feel bad about it." Kiba shrugged a shoulder.

"I threaten to slaughter you on a regular basis and we're still friends." Naruto tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes in thought. "Good point. Okay, I'll go. I'll confront him and demand to know the truth. He owes me that much. I'll definitely talk to him... tomorrow…" Naruto mumbled the last part as he turned away causing Kiba to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Wow. You really are a pansy."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"You wanna go? Let's go! Right here!"

"Bring it on you little shit! I'll kick your ass!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Both of you shut the fuck up!"

"Sorry…"

"Fuckin roommates…"

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**Laura: The title speaks the truth! Naruto's going to confront Sasuke and find out what really happened. Hopefully this time he'll listen instead of jumping to conclusions. :P** **Thanks for reading guys! My love for you all is indescribable! Please don't forget to leave a review and please keep coming back for more! Only two chapters are left! TTFN!**


	24. Forgiveness And Love

**Laura: This is what we've all been waiting for. Enjoy guys. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss.**

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Sasuke liked going to school and he always had. Ever since he was a boy he had been excited to learn new things and become smarter. Although most people saw Sasuke as an overachieving know-it-all, Sasuke was just as eager to get back home and relax as his fellow classmates. "Free time is me time." He would say. Sure he'd learn things in class, but there were certain things you just can't learn from a book or classroom. That is why Sasuke would take full advantage of his time off doing things to help improve himself as a human being.

He wasn't as strange as everyone thought he was, he enjoyed coming home. But ever since Naruto left the apartment coming home became more like a chore he couldn't seem to weasel his way out of. Somehow one of his favourite times of the day had become his worst. No one, not even an anti-social being like Sasuke enjoyed coming home to a lonely, empty apartment. Especially not after being exposed to what it was like having another fun, exuberant person in the building with him.

Coming home now was just depressing, and as much as Sasuke would have liked to avoid it, he couldn't let his own feelings of torment get in the way of his everyday life. Having this resolve didn't make it any less painful… As Sasuke pulled into the parking lot of his building he leaned down and gently rested his forehead on the steering wheel, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh as the engine cut. "Why am I so pathetic?" Sasuke groaned into the cool leather of the steering wheel.

"How did I even get here? Why did it have to be him?" Recently Sasuke had begun wording his problems out loud when no one was around. He knew he could always tell Itachi these things but sometimes he just wanted to keep these negative thoughts to himself without the fear of being judged. He knew nothing would ever be solved this way and, unlike Itachi, Sasuke never offered himself a solution to the problems, just more complaining. It hadn't really benefited him in anyway, but on the other hand it allowed him to speculate what a push over he had become.

Maybe he secretly hoped that by putting himself down he would somehow come to a confident decision to let his love go and go back to the person he used to be. Or maybe he just wanted to make himself feel like shit for stooping so low as to fall in love with his roommate. Who knows? Maybe he had just lost his mind and this was his first step to being committed in an insane asylum. Honestly with the way Sasuke felt, that didn't seem like such a bad option.

A minute or two passed as Sasuke sat there staring at the floor when out of no where a knock came from his window. "You gonna keep sitting there or are you actually going to get out and talk to me?" Sasuke recognized his voice immediately, although a small part of him wished he hadn't. He didn't want to be so in-tune with the big, blonde dope knowing he would never feel the same. "Naruto?" It almost felt unnatural to be saying his name to his actual face. Sure, maybe it had only been a week or so, but to Sasuke it had felt like an eternity since he had seen those big, blue eyes staring down at him.

He would have rather had Naruto look at him without the agitated glare of course, but at this point Sasuke was willing to accept whatever he could get. Even if he was happy to see him, the Uchiha still felt torn between hugging Naruto and punching him for putting this burden on his shoulders. Sasuke didn't even have time to worry about whether or not Naruto saw him talking to himself before the blonde opened the door for him and waited expectedly. "What- what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked as he slid out of the driver's seat before Naruto quietly closed the door behind him.

"I, uh, wanted to talk." He said as he zipped up his coat and blew some hot air onto his cupped hands. Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How long have you been standing out here?" Naruto stared down at his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets before he began kicking around a few loose pebbles on the pavement. "Awhile." He mumbled, almost as if he was guilty of something Sasuke didn't understand yet. The Uchiha was truly puzzled by this confession. "Why didn't you just go inside? It's cold out here. Did you lose your key?" Naruto kept his head down as he responded, his voice quiet, guarded. "I wasn't sure I would be allowed. That you would want me too."

"Why would I-" Sasuke shook his head when Naruto's expression soured. "What are you talking about? Of course you can come inside. Naruto, this is your home too."

"Is it? Because I'm not so sure about that anymore." Naruto looked up at him then, his voice harsh with betrayal and misguided conclusions. "Sakura came over to ask about you." Sasuke decided to get straight to the point, knowing that was all Naruto cared about at the moment. "She wanted me to help her get you back, Naruto. She wasn't there because she was after me. She was there because she was after _you_. You just- you came in at the wrong time!" Naruto's look of doubt was inevitable. He had already been hurt and lied to by someone he trusted, why would it be any different this time? "Why were you hugging her?"

"I wasn't! Not really... She started crying because of you and then _she_ hugged _me_. There was nothing sexual about it! But you ran out so fast that I didn't get a chance to tell you!"

"Why were you even talking to her in the first place?! Were you gonna do it, Sasuke? Were you going to try and convince me to take her back?"

"Of course I wasn't! I know how much she hurt you Naruto! Do you really think I would do that to you? After everything that's happened?!"

"What?! What's happened Sasuke? Please tell me because I- I have no idea what's going on anymore." Suddenly, Sasuke started to think that maybe he wasn't just talking about Sakura anymore… The poor guy sounded just as confused as Sasuke felt. "Wh- what do you mean?" Sasuke began stuttering nervously as he realized he could no longer avoid telling Naruto the truth. Unfortunately, Sasuke wasn't given enough time to plan out what he wanted to say.

And now that Naruto was actually here in front of him, Sasuke realized that even if he had all the time in the world it still wouldn't have been enough. This was truly a gamble and the more distraught Naruto's voice became the more anxious Sasuke felt about the outcome. "Why do you care so much? Why have you been trying so hard to find me? You didn't even like me when we first met! I could walk out of your life and you'd still be you, Sasuke! So why does it matter if I'm gone or not?!"

"Because I don't want you to hate me!" Sasuke didn't know if the crack in his voice was from desperation or just pure frustration at the whole situation, but it was there, clear as day and Naruto had heard it. The blonde could spot the signs from a mile away. Sasuke was going to break and it was all because of him. Could what he's saying really be true? Could it have all been one big understanding? Had this been Sakura getting in the last laugh by trying to ruin his potential relationship with Sasuke?

Naruto never wanted to believe that Sasuke would hurt him like this. He never wanted to care so damn much even if he had. Naruto felt baffled and slightly light headed as he ran his fingers through his thick, blonde locks and let out a troubled breath. Sasuke was doing all he could to keep his emotions in check as he watched Naruto's expression turn into an emotion he had grown very accustomed to over the past few days.

Anguish.

"What the hell are we doing Sasuke?" Naruto asked in a soft but pained tone. "How did we end up here?" Sasuke sniffled once before gluing his eyes to the pavement, not knowing how to respond. Naruto shrugged lazily. "This was supposed to be fun, man. I was going to make a new friend and that should have been it. But somewhere along the line things just got so messed up…" Naruto felt a chill run down his spine as the words he desperately wanted to speak started forcing their way out of his mouth.

"I mean, Jesus. You're telling me _I'm_ the bad guy here? I'm the one who screwed up?" Sasuke quickly looked back up at him and snapped angrily. "Yes, okay?! You jumped to false conclusions and labeled me as a traitor, but I'm just as guilty as you are! Just for a different reason... Don't you get it?! We're both idiots! But I don't want you to apologize for it! I just want-"

"Why not?!" Naruto cut him off, bewildered and obviously annoyed. "Why do I get a special pass for being an impulsive jackass?! Why won't you get mad at me?! Or hit me! Or even fully blame me for all the shit I caused when clearly I was the one in the wrong! Why are you trying to convince me that _you_ somehow did something wrong?!" Sasuke quietly looked down at his feet again. Naruto couldn't believe any of this. It was like no matter what he did Sasuke still wouldn't hate him. Why?! Why was he doing this?! It was driving him insane! "-something more-"

"Huh?" Sasuke had mumbled something under his breath forcing Naruto to take a step closer in hopes of hearing him better. Sasuke slowly looked back up at him, his eyes holding a strong yet hesitant determination. "Isn't there something _more_ here?" He asked, this time much clearer as he gestured between the two of them with a wave of his hand. "Hasn't something changed between us?" The blonde's eyes widened at the implication. "Changed…?" Naruto repeated carefully, hesitantly, as if to confirm what he thought Sasuke was implying.

"Yes, changed. You know I- I've never really connected with anyone before. I don't- I don't need constant interaction with other people the way you do, but this week when you were gone I-" Sasuke felt small as his voice died down into a nervous whisper. "I missed you." He admitted. "And I felt terrible because I thought I was losing you." Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something but Sasuke continued without a moments hesitation. "Even now I'm terrified of what's going to happen but I can't- I can't keep doing this with you Naruto. I never thought one person could make my life so much better and so much worse at the same time!"

"Now just hold on a minute! You think I'm the only problem here? What about you huh?! You and your "lets take care of Naruto" attitude. You say I'm making your life miserable? Well you've turned mine into a living hell! You and your big brain and that stupid, bossy attitude of yours has ruined everything!" At some point Naruto had taken another step closer to the Uchiha. Sasuke was too worked up to even notice how much closer they were, let alone care.

"What does that even mean?!" Sasuke shouted. "It means you single handedly destroyed everything I believed in! I used to be a cool and care-free dude but now I don't even know who the hell I am or what I want and its because of _you_!" Naruto yelled back heatedly. Somewhere in the back of his mind Naruto realized this was the breaking point. It was all or nothing. Go big or go home.

_Take the plunge._

Naruto's hands began to twitch with an anticipation that his mind hadn't quite caught up to yet. "Just tell me Naruto! Tell me why you wanted me to be a part of your life! Tell me why you tried to kiss me, again! Tell me why you're so upset! Just tell me the tru-!"

Without a warning, without even thinking of the consequences, Naruto grabbed both of Sasuke's cheeks and rappelled himself forward. Naruto's chest smacked into Sasuke's as their mouths collided in a kiss. It wasn't just a regular old kiss. It was an apology. It was confusion. It was hurt. It was desperation. It was anger and passion. It was so much more than just a meeting of the lips. It was everything that had been building up for months finally breaking free and giving them the chance they so rightly deserved.

Sasuke weaved his arms around Naruto's neck as if he had done so a million times before, and Naruto's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer to his body. The rest of Sasuke's fears and doubts were lost in the sweetness of Naruto's warm, welcoming lips on his own. The two men didn't want to think anymore. They just wanted to feel each other, to know what was happening was real and not just some awful illusion their love-struck minds had come up with. They wanted to remember every single detail of this perfect moment.

The moment they shared their very first kiss.

* * *

The two men crashed threw the front door of the apartment in a whirlwind of pushing, pulling and biting. A foot shot out to kick the door closed behind them- no one really cared who the foot belonged to- before Naruto slammed Sasuke's back into the wall closest to the hall way. As Naruto's tongue began exploring the insides of his mouth, Sasuke's mind briefly wandered back to the night Naruto had been intoxicated and almost kissed him in the hall. Only a few feet away from where they were now...

He never would have thought the two of them would end up like this. Groping and grinding against each other like two horny teenagers. It was embarrassing to say the least, definitely not something Sasuke was planning on sharing with his brother, but in that moment he just couldn't bring himself to care about anything besides Naruto's body pressed up against his. Naruto trailed butterfly kisses down to Sasuke's neck and gently nipped at the sensitive skin below his ear before reaching down and grabbing the back of Sasuke's knee.

As Naruto hitched Sasuke's left leg around his hip, Sasuke realized what he wanted and quickly wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck once again. Naruto grabbed his other leg and hoisted Sasuke up so his legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, making it easy to walk them into a bedroom. Sasuke kept Naruto's mouth busy as Naruto walked them into the first bedroom he came in contact with, which just so happened to be Sasuke's. Naruto carefully lowered Sasuke down onto the bed, their lips never parting, before crawling on top of him.

By now the kisses had moved on from hot and heavy to slow and sensual. Naruto didn't want to rush this monumental moment in their relationship by moving too quickly. He wanted to savour every inch of Sasuke's body until both were completely satisfied. With some major self discipline on his part, Naruto managed to pull his lips from Sasuke's and shimmied his way down Sasuke's torso. Once in a comfortable position, Naruto pushed up the hem of Sasuke's shirt revealing a flat, pale stomach pumping up and down furiously with anticipation.

Naruto smiled as he leaned down and kissed a small patch of skin directly bellow the belly button making Sasuke sigh and shift where he lay. "You nervous?" Naruto asked, looking up at him through his eyelashes. Sasuke's eyes wandered anywhere but Naruto's all-knowing face. "No." He responded stubbornly. Naruto let out a breathy chuckle against Sasuke's stomach causing goose bumps to form on his skin. "Have you ever...?" Naruto let the rest of his question float in the air, knowing Sasuke knew what he meant.

"Once. In high school." Sasuke admitted with an embarrassed grimace. "I slept with this girl in my class and it was one of the worst experiences of my life." Naruto's lip jutted out in pout as if to mock the Uchiha's story. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I'll tell you what-" Naruto crawled his way back up Sasuke's body and kissed him gently on lips. Sasuke found himself holding his breath as Naruto rested their foreheads together and whispered. "If you promise to give me all of you... then I'll promise to make this a night you'll never forget..."

"It's not like you have much competition to begin with..."

"Just shut up and take your pants off..."

* * *

**Laura: Okay, I'm a bit of a giggling mess right now. That turned out exactly how I wanted it to. Yes I'm sorry there is no lemon but I never had any intention of writing one in the first place sooo... SORRY. :P However, I really hope this has satisfied you all in some way, shape or form. I just can't get over how adorkable they are! "Just shut up and take your pants off." may be the greatest line I have ever written lol. Well guys it's sad to say but the next chapter will be the last! You can think of it as "The morning after" chapter. I'm going to keep all the mush at bay for now but next week you better be prepared. THIS IS YOUR WARNING. Thanks for reading everybody! On to the finale! **

**Important AN: Ready for some bad news? My lap top decided to be a dick a few days ago and broke down on me. It is currently being taken into the shop for a repair (hopefully) but until then I can't get acsess to a computer. Right now I'm using my phone to post this. I haven't started writing the last chapter yet which means I'm going to have to write it on my phone. I don't need to tell you how terrible that sounds. I'll try my best to upload sometime next week but if I don't I just wanted you to know why. Sorry for the inconvienence. #Prayforthelaptop**


	25. We Found A Balance

**Laura: Sorry for the wait guys! But this it! This is the last chapter of FAB. SO MANY MIXED EMOTIONS. I'm a little embarrassed but I'll say it anyway. I got pretty emotional when I came up with the title for this last chapter. I definitely got punched in the feels. I'll continue my rambling down below so my lovley readers, for the last time, please enjoy Finding a Balance. :}**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related to it. Alls I gots is my own plotssss. (I'll have to bring this back. Its really starting to grow on me.)**

* * *

It was about 7 in the morning when Naruto realized he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. He had been lying in bed closing and opening his eyes for half an hour before he discovered something much more appealing than trying to will himself into unconsciousness. Naruto knew it was creepy. He had never done it with any of the women he had dated over the years, but because it was Sasuke he just couldn't help it. Even when he was sound asleep Sasuke looked stunning.

He looked completely at ease lying on his stomach with half of his face resting comfortably on the pillow, only a few inches away from Naruto's own face. There was something oddly comforting about watching the Uchiha sleep. It was almost hard to believe that behind that face of innocence lies a brilliant, witty man who completely stole Naruto's heart within a matter of months. For the first time in a long time Naruto felt good about their situation. Last night had gone beyond anything Naruto could have possibly imagined.

It wasn't perfect in the sense that they didn't really know what they were doing. There were a few instances where Naruto just had to laugh at how completely awkward and uncoordinated they both were. But once they got past all the shyness and timid touching it was smooth sailing. Sasuke never once lost his patience, not once, and Naruto managed to keep himself under control for the most part. So really, for a first time- for both of them, Naruto thought they did a pretty good job.

Hopefully, (if Naruto had any say in the matter) there would certainly be more opportunities to improve their performance. Naruto stayed in bed for a few more peaceful minutes before forcing himself to get up. Sasuke shifted a little as the bed creaked from Naruto sitting up but didn't show any signs of waking up. Naruto was sure to be quiet as he climbed out of bed and, with a bit of a smirk, realized he was completely naked still.

He couldn't imagine Sasuke would be too pleased with him marching around the apartment in all his glory so he decided to sneak off to his room to find something to cover himself up with. He knew that there were still some things they needed to talk about and the last thing he wanted to do was make Sasuke uncomfortable. After pulling on a pair of pants Naruto decided it would be a good idea to make them breakfast. Hopefully this would help create a relaxed atmosphere so Sasuke could see that there's nothing to worry about. At least that's what the blonde hoped.

* * *

When Sasuke woke up the next morning at around 8 o'clock he was sure that last night had been nothing but a dream. A really hot and extremely satisfying dream… But then he saw his and Naruto's clothes sprawled out all over the floor along with a few stray blankets from the bed. The dull ache the Uchiha felt in his hips as he sat up was a pretty clear indication that he hadn't imagined what happened last night. Sasuke pushed his bangs out of his face before gazing over at the other side of the bed.

Naruto wasn't there beside him and if it wasn't for the soft, muffled music playing from out in the hall, Sasuke would have worried that the blonde simply took off on him like their encounter last night had been a one night stand. Luckily, Naruto wasn't that kind of person. He was honourable, a regular knight in shinning armour. Sasuke wasn't really sure where they stood at this point, and he didn't know if things were going to be awkward or uncomfortable between them, but right now all he wanted to do was talk to Naruto. Or at the very least just see his face.

To know that he's just as happy as Sasuke is. That's all the Uchiha wanted. Confirmation that they hadn't made a mistake by rushing into the sex, no matter how amazing it felt... To know that there were no regrets about what happened. Sasuke knew how he felt. He knows what he wants. Naruto on the other hand… Well, Sasuke just needed to hear it from the horse's mouth. Just once. That's all it would take to wipe away any anxiety he held bottled up in his chest.

Planning on having a shower later, Sasuke grabbed his shirt from yesterday off the floor and slipped it on before doing the same with his boxers. Sasuke figured it didn't really matter anymore if Naruto saw him looking indecent. Things like that wouldn't bother him. Hell, Sasuke was half expecting to find Naruto parading around in his birthday suit when he finally managed to get himself out into the hall. As Sasuke traced the growing sound of music into the kitchen he came face to face with Naruto's bare back. His lower half was fully clothed with a pair of loose fitting sweatpants, Sasuke noted with a bit of disappointed frown.

The blonde was softly humming to the music while stirring something in a pan on one of the elements on the stove. The unmistakable scent of bacon wafted into Sasuke's nose making his stomach growl on command. Sasuke was a little hesitant to let the blonde cook again after what happened the last time he attempted to make a meal, but in the end he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and keep quiet. Sasuke just watched him for a moment as Naruto gleefully moved about the kitchen, grabbing two sets of plates and cutlery before opening up the fridge and pulling out a jug of orange juice.

It wasn't until the song ended that Naruto turned around and spotted the Uchiha standing there watching him. He looked a little startled for about half a second before grinning widely. Naruto could barley contain himself as he poured the juice into both cups and spoke. "Morning." Sasuke's heart began to pound ridiculously fast with a growing sense of hope as Naruto continued to smile at him. There was no awkward atmosphere between them or uncomfortable shuffling to avoid eye contact. It was normal. _Better _than normal.

Naruto appeared to be happy.

The big lug was practically glowing as he made his way around the island to stand in front of the Uchiha. As Naruto snaked his arms around Sasuke's waist and pulled him close, all of Sasuke's doubts were brushed away and put to rest. "Good morning." Sasuke eventually said, barely able to contain a grin of his own. "I made us breakfast." Naruto stated clearly proud of himself for not burning down the entire building. "I can see that." Naruto chuckled at Sasuke's raised eyebrow and harmless skepticism.

"No bodily harm was caused. I promise." Sasuke nodded. "Well… good then. That's good." Naruto's eyes widened as he nodded his head, false innocents on his face as if he was playfully mocking him. "Something on your mind there sport?" Sasuke gazed up into his face and found that Naruto's smile was just too damn contagious to refuse. Sasuke's smile only seemed to egg him on further. "So… last night was-"

"Unforgettable?" Naruto cut in with far too much self-assurance in that grin of his. Sasuke rolled his eyes and gently pushed his shoulder causing Naruto to laugh and take a step back, releasing his hold from Sasuke's hips as he moved. "I'm trying to be serious." Sasuke scolded gently, though there was a light-hearted glint in his eyes that made Naruto's heart jump delightfully in his chest. "We should talk about, you know- what this all means."

"What do you think it means?" Sasuke tilted his head in thought for moment. "Well, I definitely don't think it's something that _just_ friends do with each other. And I don't really think I want to be just friends with you anyway so…" Naruto looked up at the ceiling and nodded as if considering his next words very carefully. "And what would you say if I didn't want to be just friends either?" He finally decided on saying. This made Sasuke's bottom lip jut out in a disappointed frown.

"I think I would punch you for not giving me a straight answer when I'm already so close to having nervous break down." He said, the excitement and anticipation clear in his voice. Naruto chuckled again before sauntering over to Sasuke and pulling him close once again. Sasuke was about to open his mouth and question the blonde's actions, but Naruto leaned in and cut him off with a gentle, adoring kiss. Sasuke felt himself melt into the kiss as their lips slid together in a beautiful dance of tenderness, affection and _love. _

"Feel better?" Naruto asked as he pulled back only slightly to look into to Sasuke's eyes. The Uchiha nodded feeling a little dazed. "Yup…" Was all he managed to force out. Naruto grinned as he reached up a brushed Sasuke's bangs behind his ears. "So we're good?" He asked. "So… we're together…?" Sasuke questioned back with uncertainty. Naruto found Sasuke's inability to believe the situation to be incredibly cute and endearing, forcing him to lean in and kiss the raven yet again, on the lips.

There was only one way Naruto could think of to get the Uchiha to fully understand exactly how he felt about him. He was nervous, absolutely. What Naruto hoped to accomplish was something that he saved strictly for family members and very, very close friends. He had never said it to someone outside of that group before. Naruto was a very passionate man, whatever relationship he was part of he would always put himself in it 100%, but he always believed in saving all that profound love and passion he held deep inside himself for the right person.

Someone who deserved it.

If that person wasn't Sasuke, then Naruto didn't understand anything anymore. "I love you." He eventually managed to force out, his shoulders stiff with anxiety and crippling uncertainty. Sasuke obviously hadn't been expecting such a bold and out of the blue statement and almost recoiled backwards, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Sasuke's complete and utter shock did little to calm Naruto's ever growing nerves. Did he go too far?

Should he have maybe waited for a more appropriate time? It was hardly romantic, announcing his love for Sasuke right after they had sex for the first time. Somehow it seemed cheap, like it just wasn't enough. Fuck, what if it scares Sasuke off? Naruto knew he had to handle this situation delicately, but instead of thinking out a thoughtful plan he just blurted it out on an impulse.

Because that's who he is. Act first, think later. That's always how he's functioned. But now he may have destroyed his one and only chance at having a relationship with Sasuke because he was a big, stupid-

"I love you too."

"What?" Sasuke's head tilted slightly as a soft smile crossed over his lips, finding Naruto's genuine surprise to be sweet and humbling. "I love you too…" He said again, his voice only shaking slightly from the confession. Sasuke couldn't explain the great relief he felt in that moment. After weeks of denying these feelings and the keeping them a secret, he was finally able to say it, and along with it came a sense of freedom. Like a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

Naruto stared at Sasuke and Sasuke stared right back. A breathy exhale escaped Naruto's lips as if he still couldn't believe what Sasuke had said, but at the same time he felt a huge sense of relief that his feelings had been returned. Naruto reached out and grabbed Sasuke's cheeks, pulling him in until their lips met again, much like their first kiss. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist as the blonde deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue inside Sasuke's mouth so the two muscles could meet in a heated entanglement.

Naruto breathed deeply out of his nose before slowly pulling his head back, their lips staying connect for only a delicious second more before detaching completely. "We're just a couple of dumbasses, aren't we?" When Sasuke showed signs of not fully understanding what he meant, Naruto decided to elaborate. "All this time we've spent tip toeing around our feelings we could have been doing this." Sasuke smirked when Naruto pulled him closer to emphasize his point.

"No arguments here. What do you say we just be honest with each other from now on? I'm sure it'll save us a lot of trouble in the long-run." For some reason Naruto began to frown, making Sasuke think that maybe he didn't agree with that idea. Why he wouldn't, Sasuke couldn't possibly begin to understand. "Well, if we're going to be honest I should probably tell you something…" Naruto's guilty look and the way he stared down at the floor sent a pit the size of a bowling ball into Sasuke's stomach.

He had gone from being immensely happy to being terrified in a matter of seconds. "You have class in 20 minutes." Naruto then said, the grin retuning to his face at seeing Sasuke's sense of relief. "Don't do that!" Sasuke scolded as he punched the blonde lightly in the arm, making Naruto laugh and shake his head. "But it's fun teasing you." Sasuke rolled his eyes then glanced over at the clock hanging above the stove. "20 minutes, huh?"

"We should probably eat now so you can get ready." Naruto started to turn around and grab their food but Sasuke suddenly pulled him back around so they were facing each other again. "Missing one day won't kill me." Sasuke said as he reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto's neck, pulling him closer with every breath. Naruto raised an eye brow and smirked in disbelief. "What about your perfect attendance record?" Sasuke shrugged carelessly, his lips only inches apart from Naruto's. "Screw the attendance."

* * *

**Laura: Wow. So that's it. What can I say about this story? Originally this wasn't supposed to turn into a 25 chapter fanfic. I guess I didn't really have a plan for this story, but I certainly didn't expect it to turn out like it did. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I think this story started off pretty slow, as most new stories do, but at some point it just picked up and my views were through the roof and I was getting wonderful comments from you, my beautiful readers.** **I'm at the stage right now where I still just feel honoured that even 5 people enjoy my stories, so all of this support has just been mind boggling and very humbling.** **I'm so glad you've joined me on this journey that turned into something much greater than it should have. **

**I want to thank each and everyone of you for reading Finding a Balance and I hope I've caught your interest as a writer. I will admit that for the moment I don't have a game plan when it comes to uploading other fics. I have plenty of ideas and loads of material to write but I'm just not sure where to begin. I might just upload one shots every now and then for a little while, or I may just take a break to finish one of my more elaborate and time consuming stories. Either way, I hope to see you all back sometime in the near future. :) Once again, thank you all so much for your love and support. This is Miss Mouse signing off! MUAH!**


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